


Looking Inward

by breejah



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Awkward Crush, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Coming Out, Evil Starfish Space Aliens, Lovers in Space, M/M, Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex, Space Opera, Telepathic Mice, Unrequited Lust, klance, space drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-12-07 09:15:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18232898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breejah/pseuds/breejah
Summary: While on a mission to gather materials for castle ship repair, Keith and Lance are attacked by strange sentient creatures, that leave them with an unexpected gift - or burden. Over the next few days, revelations come to the forefront for the two paladins that might impact their relationship forever.Rated E for eventual romance/sex.[Set around the end of Season 2]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wanted to do a Voltron Legendary Defender fic, so here we go! I'm a shipper of many characters on this show, but I always liked the idea of Lance constantly "at odds" with Keith because he secretly likes him. Enjoy my version of a VLD space opera. This'll only be a few chapters long at most.

* * *

 

If it wasn’t for their current predicament, Keith would almost enjoy the view overhead – the atmosphere on the abandoned planet so thin, the entire galaxy was on full display in a myriad of colors, all varying degrees of the rainbow glimmering like floating glitter against a sea of black – but instead he was forcibly trying _not_ to snarl towards his companion that stood beside him, walking in small circles as they waited to hear back from the castle ship.

“Argh, _this sucks!”_ Lance groaned, kicking a cluster of space rock with his boot. Keith snorted, but kept the noise soft, shielded inside his helmet, so his companion wouldn’t overhear. All it would take would be one of Lance’s snide comments meant to piss him off and he would be nearly at blows with the fool once more.

It wasn’t that Keith hated Lance. In actuality, he respected him, even admired him from time to time, but for some reason, Lance had this innate need to _compete_ with him over every small thing and it set Keith’s blood boiling in record time. _If only he’d just be cool, like the rest of the crew,_ Keith’s thoughts curdled inside his head, making him grimace as he looked away, watching Lance pick up a few of those space rocks and throw them towards the horizon, where they began a slow, haphazard descent in the low gravity of the planet they were currently stuck on.

It had all gone well until about an hour ago. They’d been mining the abandoned planet for more scaultrite when Hunk’s recipe they’d used previously to repair the wormhole generator failed to fully crystalize. As Keith and Lance had trekked down the mineral, the Lions had unexpectedly short-circuited, leaving them stranded.

Waiting for Coran to reply back to his SOS message, alerting the team that they needed the castle to come to them rather than meet at the rendezvous point they’d chosen prior to leaving, he stared up into the sea of stars overhead, taking a moment to study the horizon dotted with dusty nebulas and remembered when he was a kid and the sight would overwhelm him.

Now, learning what he had over the past month, and what it had done to his dynamic with the team, he just wanted to smash them all into a million fragments of stardust and turn his back on it all, but he couldn’t. Not now, with the obligations he had – to end Zarkon’s reign, to help those in need. He snorted inside his helmet once more, shaking his head, replaying that odd memory-scape the trials had placed inside his head. Was it a real memory? Or had it been a hallucination, just like the others?

Again, he wished he could ask his dad what in the hell that had meant. If he was half Galra, as the Blade and the others suggested, why had his dad failed to neglect something so _important?_ Better yet, where was his mother? Why had she left? _Did_ she leave, or was she killed? What was she doing on Earth in the first place? Was she looking for the Blue Lion, like he had been, and met his father?

As always, the more he pondered his past, the more he was simply left with useless frustration and more questions. Watching Lance kick space rocks gave him the sudden urge to do the same, but he didn’t, not wanting to fight with him. Lance had been particularly testy lately, and Keith wondered if it was because of _what_ Keith was.

_Galra – monster – untrustworthy – a **freak.**_

Shiro insisted those were his own words, not the words of the team, but he knew how Allura glared at him with disgust when Shiro wasn’t looking, or how Hunk and Pidge, the most compassionate and most intelligent of the team, simply gave him odd stares and went quiet when he was in the room.

He still couldn’t believe Shiro wanted him to be his understudy, to learn to take on a leadership role, not after what hung over his bed in this quarters back on the ship. The blade of Marmora - his ancestry on loud display – no longer the secretive dagger he kept hidden under his pillow, now a long sword, all but marking him as Galra for the entire ship to see, as if they weren’t reminded of it every time they looked at him.

“Coran, Allura – come in,” he tried again, gritting his teeth and biting back a curse when there was no reply but static. He switched channels, trying again. “Shiro? Pidge? Anyone picking us up? Our Lions had a malfunction and we need a pick up.”

“How long is this going to take?” Lance griped, coming to stand beside Keith and cross his arms over his chest. Keith ignored him, trying again, and Lance continued to pace, growing more agitated by the second.  

“How the fuck should I know?” Keith finally snarled, when Lance stopped in front of him and tapped the visor on his helmet, when Keith failed to respond,  busy ending his latest transmission. He slapped Lance’s fingers away, stepping forward two paces, forcing Lance to step back, his blue eyes going wide. “Don’t fucking touch me, dipshit. I’m hailing them every five goddamn seconds, if you’d stop bitching and actually _help_ —”

“ _Hey!”_ Lance barked, stiffening and narrowing his eyes, taking offense at Keith’s attitude and taking a step towards him. Already on edge, furious with their Lions failing to respond or start, thinking of the fractured relationship he had with the team, Keith curled his fingers into tight fists and prepared to push back if Lance decided to give into the urge to start something.

 _Not now,_ Keith fumed, looking at Lance with a narrow-eyed glare, silently warning him to back down. Lance appeared to be doing no such thing, stepping forward again. _One more step and I’m going to fucking hit you,_ his thoughts snarled, his fist raising, even as Lance kept moving forward.

Suddenly, a staticky reply peppered back to them over their comm system, making both instantly freeze.

“A few hours, we’re still waiting on Hunk and Pidge to haul back their supplies first and meet at the rendezvous,” chirped Coran, before static began to cover his words. “But-- _zzztttt-_ -seems there’s interferen-- _zzztttt_ \--from the star we’re orbiting-- _zzztttt_ \- so just get com-- _zzztttt_ \--maybe four hours, or a little- ** _zzztttt_.**”

After that - nothing.

“Did he just say four _hours?”_ Lance groaned beside him, his previous display of aggression seemingly forgotten as his shoulders suddenly sagged and he rolled his head back with a loud sigh.

Unlike Lance, Keith wanted to scream at the stars. “Yep,” he gritted out, still fuming from earlier, turning to wander back towards the Lions. “I’m going back to Red, at least there I can get out of this fucking suit.”

He didn’t wait to see if Lance followed, but began to hear Lance’s soft muttering and footsteps following his own.

 **

Two hours later, Keith was back in his casuals, feet kicked up, staring out across the expanse of space, flicking his eyes between the clock and the horizon above him. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Lance in full space gear, fumbling with something near his Lion’s control access panel on the machine’s left flank. He reached for the small comm device by his side when Lance suddenly jerked, rolling off the side of his Lion, spasming like he’d experienced a seizure.

Not even waiting to call out to him, Keith jumped up from his seat and ran for the door. “ _Lance! Lance, are you there?!”_

Lance’s grunts and occasional cry responded down the comm device, but nothing that Keith could make out as decipherable language. _Fucking **hell,**_ Keith thought, racing to don his space suit and make his way outside, grabbing his paladin blade as he went.

“I’m coming!” He panted, breaking out into a full sprint when he saw Lance wasn’t moving, laid out on the ground, completely comatose. Keith squinted, realizing suddenly Lance seemed covered in – _stars?_

They certainly glittered like stars, and Keith found himself canting his head up, looking towards the stars in question. Strangely, the stars above him pulsed, then seemed to fall, and before Keith realized it, they swooped down, attaching themselves to him.

Almost immediately, the burning sensation started. Shouting in surprise and pain, trying to wrench the things off him – _just what the hell **is** this?! _– he stumbled, but was’t able to remove them. Staggering towards where Lance was passed out, Keith felt his vision swarm, and then – blackness.

* * *

 

 “They alive?”

Keith didn’t _feel_ alive, but by the voices whispering in his ear, he soon realized he was. He tried licking his lips, talking, opening his eyes, but he was so tired, he couldn’t do anything but lay there and listen. He wanted to ask about Lance, worried he was still in danger, but realized his crew said ‘they’ and figured that meant the others had found both him and Lance.

“Of course they’re alive, Hunk. They’re breathing, aren’t they? Now pass me that oxygen diffuser so I can stabilize them – _wait,_ what the _heck?”_ That was Pidge, both annoyed at Hunk’s original question, then startled at whatever she found. What the hell was going on?

“What’s wrong?” Hunk again, sounding worried. The more he tried to speak, the more he couldn’t, exhaustion overwhelming him and threatening to send him crashing back into unconsciousness, so he finally stopped fighting once more and listened.

“Check out this reading, it’s like –”

“Like their brain chemistry is somehow in sync! How fascinating!” _That_ time, it was Coran that spoke. So they were back on the castle ship, that was good. Keith could only assume that meant the Lions were also being repaired.

“Yeah, but what’s that mean in terms of their recovery? Will this affect them?” The commanding voice Keith overheard in the distance belonged to Shiro.

“I don’t know yet, but they need rest for now. Keith’s vitals are jumping, as if he’s responding to this, but yet he hasn’t woken up. Let’s give them a few hours to rest and I’ll flush their system once more. Whatever affected them, it appears to have left some residual effects. Nothing fatal, but it may mean we need to put them on medical leave for a few more days.”

“I want a full report on the findings, if you can figure out what caused this, maybe we can catalogue it and avoid it in the future, or study it and see if we can—”

The longer Shiro went on, demanding answers of Pidge and Coran, the more tired Keith became, until he finally succumbed to the alluring black nothingness of sleep.

* * *

 

 Opening his eyes, Keith immediately grimaced at the sour taste on his tongue. His mouth was dry and it tasted like something had crawled into his head cavity and died. Sitting up, he groaned against the immediate dizziness that followed, glancing down at his form, seeing wires of various colors taped to his body, stripped down to his boxers, and immediately began ripping them away.

Looking around the room, realizing he was still in the med bay, he peered to his right, hearing a series of beeps, and saw Lance still asleep, looking slightly gaunt and pale underneath his olive skin tone, making Keith swallow nervously at the appearance of his fellow paladin.

Just as the monitors at his station began to turn red and elicit a shrill response, the door to the med bay opened and Pidge came running inside. She skidded to a halt, seeing him awake, then grinned and punched a serious of codes into the panel by the door, moving to help him up when Keith tried to stand.

“Whoa, slow up,” She warned, gripping his arm and helping Keith to a seat by Lance’s station, where the other male didn’t stir. “You’ve been asleep for four days and we’ve been feeding you various therapies intravenously. You’re probably weak and I don’t need you falling and injuring yourself.”

 _Christ, **four days?** _Keith whipped his head towards Pidge, blinking in shock, then winced when he tried talking, pointing to his throat. “Water,” he mouthed, and she turned and set off to do as he asked.

Turning, he looked over Lance and wondered briefly if he had woken up at all. “He hasn’t,” Pidge spoke from his side, making Keith swear with a cracked noise, only to ravenously swallow down the contents of the water glass when she passed it his way. She frowned, glancing between him and Lance, waiting until Keith seemed to sigh, his mouth and throat feeling much better after making quick work of the contents of the cup.

“Fuck, thanks,” he muttered, handing the cup back to Pidge. “Has he done anything?”

“More?” She asked. He shook his head, not moving his eyes off Lance, and she glanced towards the male, shrugging a shoulder. “Not really. He responded a few times when we treated you, but that’s about all.”

Keith frowned, leaning forward, studying Lance’s form. He still looked gaunt, but as Keith watched, whatever therapy Pidge had been putting them through seemed to be working. It was subtle, and he had to sit there for several minutes to see the changes, but they were there – Lance was improving.

“What the heck happened to you two?” Pidge asked, drawing Keith’s attention away from Lance.

He shook his head, frowning. “I dunno. Lance and I were gathering the minerals you needed and the Lions shorted out. We went back to our Lions once we got ahold of you guys and sat back to wait. Coran said four hours, and we didn’t want to wait in our space suits. Lance had gone out on his Lion, messing with the left shoulder, when I saw him thrash….like he was having some kind of seizure. I ran out the cock pit of my Lion, slapped on my space suit, and saw Lance passed out and covered in these…..things. They looked like – _heh_ – like stardust.”

Pidge’s eyebrows rose with that description, but Keith shrugged and continued, glancing back to Lance. “Before I realized it, they got on me somehow. _Fuck,_ it hurt. Burned, _real_ bad. Then I passed out and – you know the rest.”

Reaching forward, Keith took his hand and laced his fingers with Lance’s. “Wish you’d wake up. Didn’t mean what I said on the planet, and—”

As he spoke, he felt his fingers _tingle_ , something _itching_ in the back of his mind, then – Lance bolted awake, gasping for air and coughing horribly, the sound dry, like Keith had felt upon waking. Keith blinked and Pidge let out a gasp of surprise, then ran to get Lance water as Keith grappled for the other male, tugging the wires off his body, helping him sit upright as Lance struggled to gather his breath.

Sudden, insurmountable panic bubbled in the back of Keith’s mind and he jolted, shocked at the foreign sensation. It wasn’t coming from him, so _where_ –

“ _They’re on me!_ _Help!_ Get them _off!_ Get them off me! Please, god, get them _off_ —"

Keith blanked, staring at Lance in rising shock, as he realized what he was feeling was _Lance’s_ panic. He must have been remembering when those things had attached themselves to him and the pain.

“Hey, it’s okay, they’re gone,” Keith began, but Lance seemed not to hear him, whimpering and thrashing, and Keith ignored Pidge’s panicked shouts, doing something that seemed completely crazy, but he did it anyways. Closing his eyes, gripping Lance’s shoulders _hard,_ he _willed_ a piece of his calmness to Lance and almost immediately, he felt the male grow quiet and relax in his arms.

“What—Where—Keith?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Keith replied, immediately releasing Lance, but still able to sense the barely-suppressed hysteria edging along Lance’s thoughts. Lance blinked, staring at Keith, and Keith swallowed, watching his own calmness work on Lance, _through_ him.  _Well, this is…fucked._ “You okay?”

“I—think so,” Lance murmured, still staring oddly at Keith, and Keith was beginning to get the sensation that Lance knew what Keith had done. “You?”

“Yeah,” he replied, turning and watching as Pidge rushed up, handing Lance the water cup, before studying the vitals on his medical display monitor. She seemed at a loss for his sudden calmness, watching Lance as he swallowed the contents of the cup, then frowned and mentioned that she was going to tell the others they were awake.

Keith refused to meet Lance’s gaze, still feeling him there, inside a small section of his head. Suddenly, a prickle of something entirely _different_ shuddered through his system, and had Keith freezing. _Wait, was that what I thought it was…?_

Turning, he glanced at Lance, but noticed Lance had withdrawn inside himself, growing oddly quiet, turning his gaze away from him. Frowning, Keith reached out and briefly tapped his shoulder, and sucked in a sharp breath as that sensation doubled, low in his belly.

 _Oh Jesus,_ Keith swore inwardly, suddenly knowing what _that_ was.

Lance began to turn a faint shade of pink, his lips peeling back from his teeth in a grimace, eyes closing as Keith struggled not to outwardly show what he felt Lance project his way. _This is--shit. **Shit.**_

The doors to the med bay reopened and everyone of the crew came pouring in, on Pidge’s heels. Allura still held that sharp hidden look of disapproval and Keith tried not to feel the stab of pain that look caused, but it was hard and he merely stared back, shifting his gaze quickly to the others, especially Shiro, who looked relieved.

Briefly, in the back of his mind, he felt surprise and a jolt of sadness, turning and feeling Lance’s hand resting on his shoulder. He blinked, staring into Lance’s blue eyes – seeing the echo of that sadness and surprise, followed by another emotion he didn’t expect: compassion. Keith swallowed, frowning briefly, watching as Lance once more pulled back, before other, more awkward sensations made themselves known again, and the others began talking all at once.

“Holy cow, you’re awake!”

“You gave us a scare! What happened?”

“How do you feel? Any strange side effects we should know of?”

Keith blinked, wondering who to answer first, when Allura stepped forward, studying them both briefly, as the others fell quiet. She stared at Lance longer than she did him, and Keith did his best not to flinch, but it was a struggle to mask. “We’re grateful you’re recovered,” she began, Keith noting she flashed Lance a hint of a smile, before looking at their monitors – not him. “Pidge and Coran had to work a few therapies to get you back to healthy numbers, but it seems the therapy worked. Its—this is odd,” she frowned, glancing between them – finally looking at Keith with a hint of something other than shadowed disdain – before glancing to Pidge and Coran. “Their brain chemistry is still synced. Will this affect their ability to access the Lions?”

“Hmm,” Coran pondered aloud, wandering up and tapping a few keys, glancing at Pidge as they worked. “I don’t think so, Princess, but we should proceed like we have been the past few days, taking assignments that doesn’t require Voltron at full power. It appears to be fading, but might take a few more days to fully disappear. It appears to be a side effect of whatever organism infected them.”

Keith froze, wondering if he heard right. Their brains where—synced? _What?_ Did that explain how they were able to somehow telecommunicate and sense each other’s emotions? Keith glanced over at Lance, noting he refused to meet his gaze, instead grinning and giving Hunk a thumbs up, albeit a weak one. He felt his annoyance rise, watching Lance briefly tense, before Keith felt a lingering embarrassment bloom in the back of his mind, along with – _that._

Suddenly, Keith felt an epiphany strike him, his annoyance diminishing but not completely disappearing, allowing Lance to think that’s all he was feeling. Still, the realization sent him reeling, struggling to pay attention to the conversation at hand. _So **that’s**_ _why you always acted like such an ass around me._

“—how’s that sound, Keith?”

Shit, Shiro had asked him something and he hadn’t been paying attention, too busy staring at Lance like he’d grown a third head. “What’s that?” He murmured, turning and blinking, meeting Shiro’s gaze.

Shiro frowned, studying him for several seconds. “I said, why don’t you and Lance get some sleep in your quarters for the rest of the day, then do some condition training once you eat, get your bodies back into the groove. I’d like you to make a test run on your Lions tomorrow at 0800. Does that work for you?”

“Sure,” Keith replied, hearing Lance demurely agree. Keith wanted to look back at Lance, inwardly amused at this new sudden shy side of the notoriously boisterous paladin, but decided it was best to leave him alone. He could already feel part of his emotions in the back of his brain, so it wasn’t like he didn’t have an inkling what drove the sudden introvert behavior.

As the others continued to talk, Keith sat back and stretched, pondering how long he’d have Lance inside his head, and Keith inside his own, curious what _other_ revelations would come into play.

* * *

_Shit, fuck, **fuck, SHIT –**_

Lance wasn’t stupid. He _knew_ Keith had felt it, as much as he’d tried to fight it, but dammit – _brain syncing?_ What was this, an episode of the fucking ‘Twilight Zone?’ How in the hell had those damned glitter-things given him and _Keith_ of all people telepathic communication?

As if fighting intergalactic neo-nazis wasn’t bad enough, now Keith knew how Lance felt about him – private, _never-see-the-light-of-day_ thoughts. It was bad enough being on an alien ship, in deep space, with a bunch of guys from his academy, but when Lance used to say he hated Keith for being ‘best pilot’ – that wasn’t the _real_ reason, of course –he didn’t want his secret to get out and add his little infatuation with his ‘nemesis’ to the list of awkward subject matter between the crew.

Hell, he had seen the way Allura had acted around Keith ever since the Marmora situation. So, Keith was half Galra – _so what?_ He was half Mexican, yet no one was giving him glares. Shiro had a freaking cybernetic arm and Pidge was a fucking _chick,_ so what did it matter that Keith had a little ‘dark side’ in his DNA? Hadn’t those Galra spies on the base proven that they needed to stop painting a species with such a broad brush?

Of course, all this nursing of Keith’s wounds in his head had more than a little to do with Lance’s secret – that Keith now knew.

 _God fucking **dammit,**_ his thoughts ground out, making him wipe a hand across his jaw. _As if things weren’t awkward enough between us, me always having to instigate fights, reminding the crew why I’m supposed to hate him, and now, he knows I—_

When Shiro told them to go to their respective rooms and sleep for a few more hours, Lance jumped out of his med bay pod and all but power-walked to the door. Ignoring the heavy feeling of Keith’s eyes on his back, he ignored the creeping amusement he felt in the back of his head as Keith no doubt wondered at what Lance had felt earlier.

 _Just—no touching for the next few days,_ he rationalized. _Avoid him, train on your own or ask Hunk or Pidge for help and—no harm, no foul…right?_

Too bad even his conscience wasn’t convinced about his plan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I am late adding a chapter to this. Real life got away from me. Good news is, I have the whole thing intricately outlined, so I don't expect it'll take me more than a week or two tops to complete it through to the end.
> 
> Enjoy the next chapter! Let me know what you think!

* * *

Rolling on his side, Lance groaned, licking his lips and grimacing, feeling once more like he hadn’t had a sip of water in weeks instead of hours. Scrubbing a hand across his face, he sat up, kicking his legs over the edge of the bed and stretched his arms over his head, wincing as his spine popped loudly in several places. He couldn’t tell what time it was, but he had the sneaking suspicion it was later than it should have been. He was surprised he hadn’t heard Shiro yet over the comm system, buzzing him about his tardiness and why he wasn’t testing out his connection to the Blue Lion.

Suddenly, the doors to his quarters swooshed open, and Pidge stalked inside, holding a small hologram device in her fingers. She didn’t bother greeting him, too intent on reading the data displays he could slightly make out from his vantage, but she did come to stand beside him, grabbing something off her belt and handing it to him.

He blinked, leaning back and straightening, taking it and staring down at it. It was a bottle of sorts, with what appeared to be water, but this was Pidge, so he knew better than to drink without first asking questions. “What’s this?”

“Drink,” she replied - a command, not a request - not even bothering to look up from her hologram to tell him what it was, turning slightly and allowing the data device to begin taking measurements of him. He rolled his eyes, popping off the top, and took a tentative sip. Whatever it was, it tasted like water, so he began chugging down the rest, thirstier than he realized.

“You’re still dehydrated, like I suspected. Whatever’s altering your body chemistry is making you metabolize things faster. Try and drink at least twice what you normally do for the next few days,” she interjected, finally peeling her eyes away from the data and giving him a brief glance-over. He raised an eyebrow as her nose briefly wrinkled. “And get a shower, you…smell.”

He huffed faintly in laughter, wiping droplets of the water she’d offered him off his chin before he looked out the castle ship window, spotting nothing but endless stars. “Where we at?” He also realized he didn’t sense Keith’s emotions in the back of his head and perked up. _Maybe the brain syncing is gone?_ “Where’s Keith? How’s he doing? We – _erm_ – still got those odd problems? I don’t…feel any different than before.”

“We’re gathering a few more minerals that Coran wants to stock up on, also checking on the Balmura, making sure that it and its people are still safe,” Pidge replied, back to fiddling with the data stream on her hologram device. She paused, pushing her glasses up the curve of her nose. “No, data still shows your brain chemistry is off. What do you mean…feeling different? Something I should know?”

 _No,_ he thought, not about to tell her that he and Keith shared emotions – and that he’d picked up on Lance’s lusty thoughts about his fellow crew member - shaking his head and hoping to hide his ratcheting anxiety with a faint shrug of his shoulders, leaning back on the bed, hoping the action came off as bored. “So, we’re still on leave? Was Shiro serious about the training? I feel fine.” _And I really don’t want to be near Keith._ He paused, contemplating what Pidge had said. Their brain chemistry was still off, so that meant most likely that Keith could sense his emotions. Why couldn’t Lance feel them right now, then? He remembered the intensity he felt from Keith when they touched, so once again, he realized it must have something to do with touch and distance. “Do I have to train with _Keith?”_

He had hoped his tone sounded irritated, and it must have, because Pidge sighed and rolled her eyes briefly heavenward. “Why wouldn’t you? You’re both affected, the rest of us are fine. So yeah, sorry pal, but you’re going to have to suck it up and train with him. I know he gets under your skin, but just this once – can you let the stupid rivalry thing between you two slide? We need to make sure you’re back to normal before Voltron might be needed.”

Lance shut up after that, frowning and glancing out the window, even as Pidge kept tapping her hologram device and taking his vitals. She was right and he suddenly felt like an ass for being too much of a coward to get near Keith, leery of being in his proximity and allowing _those_ thoughts to sneak out. He nodded, saying nothing, hearing Pidge’s indecipherable hum in response before she began pecking at her hologram device once more. Eventually, she seemed satisfied with whatever data she collected, walking towards the door. At the last second, she looked up, turning to stare at him. “Oh, Keith is on the holo deck. So far his endurance doesn’t seem affected. Test your own. I’ll check on your soon, see how it’s going.”

He nodded again, watching her stare at him a moment, then turn and leave the way she came in, sequestering Lance once more to his own solitude. Rising, casting off the sheets from where they’d twisted around his torso, he yawned once more and padded towards the private showers in the back, stripping out of his sleep pants and tunic.

Just as he slipped inside, he heard Shiro’s voice over the comm system. _‘Lance, get your ass to training. You’re late so we postponed the Lion run. Keith’s been here for three hours. If I have to come get you, there will be hell to pay.’_

Muttering a string of curses under his breath, he paused by the comm button in the bathroom, barking out a reply once he pressed the button down to let Shiro know he heard him before he stepped in the scalding hot shower. “I’m coming, geez. I’ll run a lap or two in the pool first.” Before Shiro could reply, he decompressed the button and stepped into the shower. _Maybe that way, I’ll avoid Keith._

Sighing, he closed his eyes and let the hot water bleed away any lingering anxiety over where the new day would lead him. _Just gotta stay away from Keith. I can do that, yeah…_

_I got this - right?_

* * *

Panting, Keith swung the sword in his left hand in vicious arcs, carving the holograms into fine strips of glowing white as he sprinted and moved through moves he’d been honing down into well-practiced strikes for hours. He was dripping with sweat, feeling the grip on the hilt of his blade slipping, and tersely muttered out a ‘halt’ so the hologram simulation would pause. Right on cue, the figures stopped mid-flight, and he leaned forward, bracing his hands on his knees, taking in a few ragged breaths before rising, centering himself, and wandered to the chalk box by the door.

Dipping his hands inside, he rolled the white powder between his fingers, then over the hilt of his blade, making sure his grip was firm on the weapon once more, then turned to resume the fight. Suddenly, the comm system in his ear crackled to life, and Shiro’s voice filled his ears. “Hold up, Keith. Pidge needs some more readings from you.”

That annoyed him, but he stopped, relaxing his posture and setting his sword aside, looking across the large expanse of the holo deck, seeing Pidge entering from the other side of the room. She was tapping a small hologram device, frowning over a few specific data points, approaching him with the obliviousness of a tech geek too absorbed in the code she was reviewing to greet him properly.

“Hey,” he replied, watching her still, stare over his form, then tap a few spots on her device before she looked up. Her eyes rose, meeting his own, before looking back down at the hologram device, once more sucked into whatever she was reviewing. Keith knew, logically, that she wasn’t slighting him about his heritage, she was merely geeking out over his and Lance’s encounter with those unknown things the other day and therefore the intriguing puzzle they presented for her. Still, he tensed in response to her lack of a reply, that dark part of his psyche feeling her actions like a slap across his face.

As he stood there, trying not to fidget, the door swooshed open one more and he watched Coran and Allura walking up, slowing as Pidge continued to take his vitals. Coran leaned over, murmuring something in Allura’s ear, and Keith immediately went rigid, feeling her probing gaze take him in. When her eyes clashed with his, she didn’t smile, nod, or otherwise indicate she was pleased to see him. That dark side of him – the Galra side? – snickered and whispered that she was disgusted but keeping her facial features lax while in front of the others, making him turn and stare across the expanse of the holo deck, just so he didn’t have to feel her disdain leering down at him.

“Hey, stop moving, you’re messing up my metrics,” Pidge complained, looking up from her data. He narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth, then simply went completely still, eventually choosing to close his eyes altogether.

Suddenly, he heard Pidge murmur a soft apology. “Sorry, I – that was rude. I got what I needed. Your vitals are strong, I don’t see any reason you can’t test your Lion later today. You feel up to that? You’re drinking enough, right?”

“Yeah, fine – I feel fine. I’m drinking what you said to, ain’t that enough?” He tersely replied back, slowly opening his eyes, watching Pidge tap on her hologram device. He noted Lance’s name and his vitals next to his own. “How’s Lance doing?”

He wouldn’t admit it, but his curiosity was piqued. He had a sneaking suspicion the paladin was avoiding him and now he knew _why._ He didn’t think on it too hard, but the idea that Lance had a bit of a crush on him tickled him. He was so used to the crew treating him like garbage that it was a nice change of pace for someone to actually _want_ him on some level, even if it was sexual. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more the idea didn’t totally freak him out, so if he could –

“Lance is good,” she replied back, glancing up at him, all while Keith noted Allura and Coran still talking, but walking out of the room together, a smaller pocket-sized hologram device in Coran’s hands, going over his and Lance’s stats. He bristled again, his momentary amusement at Lance’s crush on him fading. _Why are they reviewing our stats?_ Allura’s gaze met his just before they slipped out the door and he was sure that for a moment, disgust clouded her azure eyes. _Why does she keep looking at me like that? Is it because of the things that infected us? Or because I’m half Galra?_

“—swimming. Anyways, you seem the stronger of the two, so I don’t see why you can’t be totally cleared, but knowing Shiro, he’ll want you to train another day, test your Lion with Lance, then see if you can run some sims with me and the others before we take on anything of value. Hey, you listening?”

He turned his gaze back to Pidge and grimaced. _Shit._ That was the second time in two days he’d drifted off whenever someone was talking to him. “Yeah, sure.” Pidge gave him a look that said she wasn’t sure she believed him, but she eventually nodded then moved towards the door. He jerked to a stand, hurrying after her. “Say, does me recovering faster than Lance have to do with…you know? Being half Galra?”

Pidge stilled, glancing back up at him and blinking, then looking back down at her data. She pulled up a few more metrics – none that he recognized – then began to shake her head. “No, I don’t think so.” Slowly, she lowered her hologram device and frowned at him. “Keith, listen, you don’t have to worry about being half Galra. At most, your able to interact with their tech, that reads their DNA, but as far as your human responses and how you function on the team—”

“Okay, cool. Look, I’m going to rinse off, get a bite to eat,” he suddenly interjected, not wanting to listen to yet _another_ person talk to him about his dark nature, not wanting to hear her utter any words that would only prove what a freak he was. _I know I’m a goddamned monster, okay? I don’t need you telling me that, I already know. Allura looks at me like I’m worse than a pebble in her shoe. Hunk and you stare. I know I’m an outcast – here, at home, or anywhere in this whole friggin’ universe – just **don’t.**_

“Keith…” Pidge called out to him, her tone soft and concerned, but he was already out the door, not waiting to hear the rest of her reply, the swoosh of the doors cutting her off mid-sigh. Slamming a fist into the wall, he stalked off, relishing the flare of pain in his knuckles, then decided to hit the pool, hoping it would cool his ire.

* * *

 

 

Staring up at the ceiling, Lance floated peacefully, drifting towards the shallow end of the Olympic-sized pool the castle ship had towards the back of the ship, sandwiched between the barracks and the training decks. Sighing, he let his feet drift down into the warm water, grazing the bottom, before he began to push himself towards the small ladder that would let him climb out.

Suddenly, the doors across the room swooshed open, nearly slamming into their holders, and Lance tensed, feeling a roiling blackness center in the back of his brain. It was pure, unfiltered fury, slightly tinged with traces of remorse, self-loathing, and bitter loneliness. There was only one reason he was being subjugated to strange thoughts not of his own making – _Keith was here._

 _Fuck!_ _Why is he here of all places? I thought Pidge said he was in the holo deck simulations?_ He dipped down underneath the water, to chin level, then shrank up against the far wall of the pool, only peering over when he began to hear Keith’s muttered expletives, followed by the harsh jerks of clothing being ripped off his form.

If he wasn’t careful, Keith would spot him, or _feel_ him, so he forced himself to absolute silence – not allowing himself to think or feel as he stared, seeing the evidence of Keith’s foul mood carved into his features. Whatever had Keith worked up was something than ran _deep_ , making him hesitate as he stared across the room, towards the doors that had begun to slide shut, taking away his chance to escape unnoticed while Keith stalked across the room and reached for a towel.

Briefly, his eyes once more shifted towards Keith, feeling worry bloom inside his chest. He couldn’t help it, the blackness of Keith’s emotions concerning him. Just as soon as that sensation appeared, he saw Keith go rigid, his eyes widening as he whirled, looking around wildly.

 _Goddamnit,_ Lance chastised himself, trying to blank out his emotions. He closed his eyes, slowing his breathing, but felt Keith’s black ire slowly bleed into a more neutral-toned curiosity in that foreign pocket in the back of his mind that temporarily belonged solely to Keith. He was looking for him, not having seen him yet, but his mood seemed to be settling.

“I know you’re there, Lance,” he heard Keith say, a few feet closer than before, but he still hadn’t seemed to spot him. “Come out and talk to me. It’s okay, you know. This – _erm_ – thing between us. I won’t say anything. Clearly you haven’t yet, either. So why don’t we talk about it?”

Lance wanted to die on the spot, heat creeping into his cheeks as embarrassment and humiliation flooded through his system. He heard Keith suck in a sharp breath, a faint bark of laughter bursting past his lips, making Lance shrink further under the water.

“Christ, man, _I don’t care that you like me._ It’s cool.”

 _That_ had to be the worst thing he could have heard, feeling Keith’s lingering anger evaporate into pure, light-colored amusement. _My crush on him is some sort of fucking joke to him? That's just absolutely great._ The irony wasn't lost on him and it made his humiliation all that more bitter to bear. He swallowed, shaking in the water, hearing Keith sigh and then jump in – right in front of him. He froze, eyes widening, face blanching, as Keith rose to the surface, using his palms to slick back his hair from his face, wipe water out of his eyes, then turn and face him.

“Got you,” Keith whispered, sliding closer.

Lance could _feel_ the panic bleeding from him, watching Keith’s expression shift from a smirk to a concerned frown. He began to breathe heavily, his eyes lowering, noting Keith was only wearing trunks. _Fuck, he’s so handsome. Why does he have to be so handsome?_

He hated how much he loved Keith’s longish haircut, always slightly unkempt and overdue for a clipping, or how his thin frame had begun to fill out with definition, his shoulders and arms filling in with chisled bulk and his chest showing marks of where his pectorals and abs had begun to develop. His thighs, though, were his best feature. His quads were _perfect,_ bulky and yet lean like a runner’s, telling Lance that they’d be put to good use if he was ever lucky enough to experience them wrapped around him or thrusting home behind him, where Lance only dreamed of taking him.

“Calm down,” Keith murmured, pulling close enough that Lance might as well reach out and touch him. In fact, his fingers itched to, and he flushed and closed his eyes as heated carnal images – images he was embarrassed to admit he’d jacked off to more than once – popped into his mind.

“What do you want?” He muttered, his tone clipped, not wanting Keith to get closer – and god forbid if he _touched_ him. He began to slide towards the ladder, but Keith’s hand shot out, blocking his escape.

“Look at me,” Keith suddenly commanded, his tone sharp, and Lance blinked, opening his eyes, staring into Keith’s dark ones. He’d been so focused on his own humiliation, he hadn’t noticed Keith’s own internal feelings shifting from amusement, to concern, to – _No way…_

Lance blinked, watching Keith frown, then lean forward, hovering a mere few inches away from him. His dark eyes flickered down to his mouth and Lance swallowed nervously, but he hadn’t mistaken what he’d sensed. _Keith was turned on._

 _All you have to do is lean a little more forward…_ He almost groaned, once more embarrassed that his breathing began to kick into overdrive, his dick hardened, and he licked his lips, so eager to finally taste Keith, he almost didn’t hear the swoosh of the door across the room.

Suddenly, Keith went rigid and Lance blanched, the moment dispelled, like a bucket of ice water had been dunked over his head. He heard Keith growl out terse words to whomever had entered the room, but he didn’t waste a moment, scrambling past Keith, making sure not to touch him, then hastily climbed the ladder, grabbed a towel, and darted for the door.

It had been Hunk, settling in to cast off his top and jump in the pool, giving Lance a raised eyebrow out of curiosity as he tugged the towel around his hips, doing his best to hide his clearly obvious erection, praying Hunk didn’t notice, then ducked outside, not bothering to explain why he was running out of the room like the devil himself was on his heels.

He felt Keith’s mood shift back to utter blackness – irritation and frustration and stifled arousal, that last part shocking him – but as he booked it towards his quarters, the sensations faded.

Slumping, he sped into his rooms, then immediately stripped again, jumping into the shower and reaching for the soap. As much as the encounter with Keith made him nervous, it also excited him, and he couldn’t help it when he slicked his hand with the soap, then reached for his cock, still throbbing with unspent energy, gripping it as tightly as the soap allowed, then quickly worked himself to a staggeringly sharp climax. It rolled through him with such strength, he sagged against the shower stall, catching his breath as he felt the tingling after effects all the way to the tips of his toes.

Afterwards, he dressed slowly, heart still hammering as he thought over what the pool moment meant.  _How am I going to make it through tomorrow’s training session and dinner tonight until this odd syncing thing fades?_

Scrubbing a hand over his face, he sighed, flopping into bed, exhausted at the mere idea of what he was going to do going forward.

 


	3. Chapter 3

He busied himself in his quarters with useless bullshit before the guilt began to wear at him, thinking of how if Zarkon or any of his fleet managed to show before they were up to full power, he'd let down the team by not being ready to take on his duties. He was a fucking Paladin of Voltron and he needed to at least do what he promised Pidge he'd do and train, get his full strength back. Slinking out of his private quarters and scanning the halls like a thief, he sighed in relief at encountering no one and decided to grab a quick snack and some refreshments, Pidge's naggling comment from this morning sinking home.  _Drink you water, Lance. You're dehydrated._

Seeing no one, sensing no oddness in the back of his head, he booked it for the kitchens, hoping he'd be alone before he hit the holo deck. He knew, of course, it was only a matter of time before Shiro would realize he'd once again flaked out of his singular job these days - endurance testing - and his commanding officer would be barking at him through the com system that he was hindering the _team_. That always made him feel like utter trash, and Shiro knew it, but he bit down the panic at seeing Keith and focused. _Man up, Lance. You know you need to get it together before the Blue Lion or Voltron is needed._

Still, the idea of seeing Keith - especially after their little run in during the pool and what Keith knew now - made him want to crawl under a rock and die.

 _God, you’re such a pansy ass,_ he thought morosely, this mind lingering back on the pool and Keith’s reaction to him before Hunk had interrupted it. He frowned, stilling for a moment as he once more darted his eyes back and forth, making sure he was alone, before he slipped inside the kitchens. _Though, if I wasn't mistaken...K_ _ _eit_ h had **wanted** that kiss. There was no mistaking what I was feeling off him. So what if I hadn't just-- _

“Well, lookie who the cat dragged in - the one who got my ass reamed by Keith like I’d shot his mother,” muttered a familiar voice by the oven computers. Lance froze, blinking, eyes widening, realizing he wasn't alone, staring as Hunk glared at him with a muffled expression of annoyance. Hunk was in his typical attire when he was heavily haunting the kitchens - and experimenting on new recipes for the crew - wearing a loose apron and a chef's hat.

Hunk loved food, like seriously _loved_ food. In fact, if food could be a soul mate, it was Hunk’s. Not that Lance was complaining, though, considering the slop that Allura and Coran had been feeding them before Hunk had begun tweaking the castle recipes had tasted somewhere in the vicinity between dog shit and human vomit. Since Hunk had taken over this part of the castle ship, they were eating better all around. Sure, the food still looked weird as hell, given the ingredients they had to work with, but at least it was edible now. 

“ _Huh?_ What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” He scowled for good measure, rolling his eyes, even as his heart pumped double time. _Keith was mad I all but ran from the room? **Why?**_

“I was just leaving, anyways," He went on, hoping he sounded convincing. "I was only in there because Shiro’s been on my tail about rehabbing since those outer space starfish things made a lunch out of me. Since when are _you_ some big swimmer anyways?” He tried shrugging off what had happened as no big deal, playing the innocent card, even if his voice might have waivered towards the end, sounding suspiciously like guilt. Hunk, it seemed, wasn’t buying it, giving him a deadpan stare as he turned, shifting his gaze once more back to one of the oven computers that held something that looked like Watergate Salad but could taste like anything. If one closed their eyes and didn’t pay attention to the look of what they were eating, Hunk could make it taste like home - _almost,_ at least.  

“Uh huh, sure,” was all Hunk said, tugging on oven mitts and pulling out a tray of what Lance suspected was dinner, or at least a trial run of it. He sniffed the air but couldn't tell what it was, not yet. It smelled like a cross between pot roast and thanksgiving turkey and made his stomach rumble, even if it was lime green and turquoise. At this point, he’d eat the damn rainbow if it tasted good.

“Whatcha cooking today?” He asked, peering over the table in front of him with Hunk’s latest endeavors that he'd already set aside for the day - a purple item that looked like baked bread, and a series of frosty blue crinkly items that smelled like cubed cheese. Before Hunk could tell him to back off, he grabbed a few and popped the morsels in his mouth, grinning as Hunk scowled and moved to ask the machine against the right wall to pour himself a large glass of water.

“I call it ‘Nunya,’ ” Hunk started, wiping sweat off his brow as he leaned over, pulling out the items he'd just been baking and set them on the counter, testing his latest confection with a fork and knife, seemingly pleased with the way it jiggled in the small containers he’d poured them in, raising his eyes when Lance paused, blinking slowly, taking a sip of his water. _Is he serious….?_

“Nunya Business,” grinned Hunk, finishing his joke, making Lance groan and roll his eyes. “Well, at least not until supper time." Hunk sighed when Lance stuck out his tongue and nabbed a few more pieces of the purple and blue stuff, shooing Lance away with a towel. "Seriously, fucker, stop eating my appetizer. Wait for the others. Besides, I want to try a few different consistencies.” He used the fork to break off a portion of one, tasting it, chewing thoughtfully. He sighed, shaking his head, about to toss them in the incinerator when Lance blinked, shooting forward.

“Hey, don’t, I’m sure it’s great, anything you make is good, just let me--”

He managed to snag one before it was completely annihilated and sat back with a pleased expression, even as Hunk scowled. Lance wriggled his fingers towards Hunk in a _'gimme'_ expression,  asking for a utensil, and his friend rolled his eyes, handing him a fork. Lance grinned, pleased he'd weaseled some food out of Hunk's grasp. Hunk was a perfectionist - going over and over a recipe until it was practically orgasmic - but he was hungry enough he'd take Hunk's failed experiment (which probably didn't taste all that bad, actually) and dived right in. As soon as he took a bite, he froze.  _Oh my fucking god..._

Hunk looked anxious as hell, running a hand through his hair. “Well?” He finally asked, his tone exasperated, when Lance said nothing, just trying to understand what in the hell he'd just taken a bite of. It was fucking _delicious._

“Hunk, man, this is _amazing._ Why’d you burn the rest up?" He groaned in a way that almost sounded sexual, slapping Hunk's wrist when he frowned and leaned forward, as if he didn't believe Lance and was about to take another bite. "No, you bitch, this one's mine. You burned your portion. But like, seriously - _why?_ It’s fantastic. It’s like turkey dinner and baked spiced ham all at once.” For some reason, the odd looking food suddenly made him nostalgic for home, and he swallowed thickly, almost fighting off tears. What Hunk could do with food was simply magical, honestly. He'd never tell another soul but at times he really missed Earth. He missed the smell of the ocean, of his family's home cooked meals, the way the sun set across the night sky, or rose in the morning. Lately, all he'd stared at was space and stars and endless darkness. He hated never seeing the sun hit the morning sky, turning it a golden peach, then pink, then bright blue. He smiled, taking another bite, studying his friend as he willed that thought down, knowing he had responsibilities here. No sense in bitching about missing Earth when monsters like Zarkon were running loose.

Hunk seemed to flush, but smiled, shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at Lance all but have a foodgasm of the mouth. “The texture is still too...off," he argued, but Lance noted his smile didn't dissipate. "I know I’ll get it right before dinner. I just want to try a few more things, but...thanks.”

Lance watched Hunk turn and once more begin preparing the ingredients, measuring them out in a way like Pidge studied over her data feeds. He smiled, shaking his head, cleaning the small bowl that Hunk had generated in the oven computer before tossing it in the incinerator. “So...what did Keith say to you?”

He had hoped he hadn’t sounded _too_ obvious - wanting desperately to know whatever it was that Keith had said to Hunk - but by the slow side glance Hunk sent him, he had a suspicion his tone sounded too eager. He cleared his throat, straightening, making a face and rolling his eyes, backpedaling as his pulse soared in his ears, his cheeks heating. “Shiro wants us to train, you know -- make sure we’re good to run the Lions. I just - you know - he’s such an _ass_ sometimes and -- kinda want to avoid setting him off. Was it something I did?”

“Nah, something _I_ did,” Hunk said nonchalantly, giving Lance a funny stare that Lance couldn't place before he continued. “He was _P-I-S-S-E-D_ I came in when I did, bit my head nearly clean off before storming out, supposedly to look for you.” Hunk’s eyes trailed over Lance before a smirk tugged at his lips and he shook his head, a contemplative expression flickering over his face. “Guess he never found you." He shrugged again, turning to stare over Lance once more curiously, before finally meeting his gaze. "I gave up the swimming after about fifteen minutes, came in here. Almost saw him in the halls, but I made sure to steer clear. He was _mad,_ bro. Like melt glaciers pissed off."

When Lance failed to say anything, just stood there staring at Hunk agape, his mouth slightly hanging open, his friend finally gave him a droll stare and rolled his eyes, setting aside part of his ingredients to give him a blatant look. “You two were _awfully_ close in that pool, dude. Was I...interrupting something? If I was, all you two had to say was get lost. Sorry if I crowded in on your….” He trailed off, making a vague hand gesture towards him, waiting for Lance to finish whatever it was he’d walked in on, as if he was wanting Lance to label it, let Hunk know what it was he’d almost witnessed.

Lance was totally frozen - eyes wide - staring at Hunk with growing horror. _He_ ** _knows?_** _How can he--?_ The longer Hunk stared at him, his eyebrows slowly raising, Lance could feel his cheeks go scalding hot. _Wait -_ _he seriously knows?!_ Suddenly, Lance went stiff. _The **fuck?** How _**_long_** _has he known?_

 _“What?”_ He finally sputtered, remembering his voice, scoffing faintly. “ _No_ \- why? What makes you say that?”

Hunk raised his eyes heavenward with a low groan of annoyance, then turned back to his ingredients, beginning to measure them out. “Dude, seriously - don’t.”

“Don’t _what?”_

“Don’t act like we’re not best fucking friends and I don’t everything about you,” Hunk suddenly snapped back, glaring at him and making Lance swallow nervously. When he failed to say anything, Hunk let out another huff of annoyance, shaking his head, and went back to what he was doing, the silence filling the kitchens sounding feeling almost lethal.

Slowly, Lance was getting the sensation he’d upset Hunk, but like - _what?_ He wanted him to admit he wanted to date Keith? Not just fuck him, like _date_ him - hold hands, kiss, sleep beside each other, have sex for the first time - like _date_ date. He wouldn’t use the word _love - nope nope nope..._

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean, Hunk?” Lance asked stepping forward, watching Hunk stubbornly refuse to respond to him, measuring out ingredients and throwing them into a bowl. Slowly, Lance reached out, taking some of the ingredients, watching Hunk tense. “Let me help. Tell me what to do.”

“You know when you used to always hit on those girls?” Hunk finally asked, after several minutes, making Lance wince and nod, remembering when he’d been insane enough to even try it on Allura of all people, months ago, along with any space girl they found in their adventures. It had all been fake, of course. He was too embarrassed to admit what (and who) he _really_ liked, so he’d buried it under layers of acting like a hopeless flirt with anything that even remotely passed as female.

“Yeah,” he replied, his tone soft, doing as Hunk instructed. Soon, the batter of his latest experiment was slowly coming together.

“I knew you were faking,” Hunk blurted, making Lance freeze, his eyes zeroing in on Hunk, who was staring at him with a frown. “You know you could’ve just told me you like guys, man. I don’t care.”

 _The moment of truth,_ he realized.  _Lie to my best friend? Or just be honest?_ When he stared at Hunk, who stared back - daring him to deny it - he finally sighed faintly. Lance swallowed, shrugging a shoulder, lowering his eyes in shame. “I didn’t know how. I was afraid it would weird you out. Lots of guys freak about this kinda thing. I've seen it before, at the academy.”

“I was the fatass outcast there and you made me feel normal,” Hunk muttered back, making Lance blink, looking up to stare at Hunk, who stared back with a faint smile. “When Pidge told us she was Katie, you were - _heh_ \- so shocked it was damn funny, but you were cool about that, too. Within five minutes, she was just part of the gang, even if she was a chick. So why do you think the crew wouldn’t be cool about you being gay?”

“ _Because…”_ Lance winced, shaking his head, his shoulders sagging as he whipped up the ingredients like Hunk asked, pouring them into more containers, juggling them on a cooking sheet and setting them in the oven computers. “I mean -- I don’t know,” he sighed again, shaking his head, once the items were placed where they need to be and the temperature was set. Hunk leaned back, closing the oven computer doors and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Lance, raising an eyebrow, and he finally shrugged. “I _really_ like Keith. I just thought, if - you know - he didn’t like me like that, it would ruin the team. It’d be all my fault, too.”

“I think you’re being a little over dramatic, don’t you think?” Hunk finally asked, looking amused. Lance frowned, glancing his way. Hunk grinned. “Keith looked pretty into whatever was going on in that pool, I don’t think you need to worry about him not liking you.”

Lance colored, but smiled back, hope flickering inside his chest. Hunk chuckled, tipping his head to the side, a serious contemplative look once more suffusing his features. “But honestly, man, just tell the crew when you feel comfortable. We gotta be like...a family, you know? And tell Keith’s what’s up. I think he likes you, too. He’s been….really closed off since the whole ‘Galra’ thing. I think you can reach him, make him know the rest of us don’t think he’s some freak like I'm sure he thinks we do. I usually just stare at him because I just don’t know what to say to him to make him believe I don't care. You, though, seem to get to him - so _tell him you like him, dumbass._ ”

Lance blanched, but Hunk shook his head, clapping a hand on his shoulder until Lance looked his way. “Running from this ain’t gonna do nothing. This ship’s - what?  A few hundred thousand square feet, in the blackness of space? Sooner or later, you gotta fess up. Just talk to Keith and tell the crew when you’re ready. Secrets are usually just ticking time bombs in places like this, no one is going to judge you or care. We’re fighting space Nazis that want to destroy the _universe,_ dude. No one gives a shit that you wanna suck Keith’s dick.”

 _Just when I think I can’t die of mortification…_ Lance went rigid, eyes wide, feeling his cheeks practically go nuclear. If he was put in front of a geiger counter, he was pretty sure he’d register radioactive.

Hunk just laughed, shaking his head and turning to stare at their dinner.

* * *

“Pidge,” came a strong voice from the front of the lab, making the small teenager poking through hordes of data pause, squint and adjust her glasses, then look over her shoulder, staring at Shiro who stood in front of one of the large hologram displays, studying Lance and Keith’s biometrics. “How are they?”

“They’re good,” She commented, sliding away from the endless streams of data she’d been studying. “I think I finally figured out our culprits,” she went on, coming up beside him and tapping the hologram, bringing up a directory. “Remember what I told you Keith saw on Lance?”

Shiro nodded, frowning, glancing over Lance and Keith’s biometrics for a moment longer and then looking at what Pidge was bringing up on the left side of the display, where she was standing.

“I cross-referenced Keith’s testimony and was able to retrieve some of Lance’s visor data before it short-circuited,” she commented, pulling up a small grainy feed. What played out was nearly identical to what Keith had described. “These creatures seemed to sense the Lion’s electrical signature and were drawn to it. They had a nest...here…” She tapped another map, showing a small cluster of stars near the planet Lance and Keith had landed on, “and it seemed they attached to the Blue Lion. When Lance stopped their feeding, they attacked.”

“Then Keith attacked them for attacking Lance and they in turn attacked him,” Shiro nodded, following along. “What are they?” He pointed at the picture of a glowing star with eight spindly legs, a glowing center that resembled a cross between an eye and a brain, and glowing spurs that radiated out from the center.

“They’re called _Gomophia_ , per Coran’s Altean directory,” Pidge said, tilting her head to the side, rapidly tapping a few keys. “They feed on electrical energy. Keith and Lance aren’t inorganic, which is what they prefer, but their synapses had enough _‘juice,’_ so to speak, to allow them a brief feeding - hence the brain syncing.”

“So what’s all it mean? Does it mean they’re safe to pilot the Lions? What about the brain syncing? Will it pass?”

Pidge frowned, shaking her head slowly. “Coran’s records are over ten thousand years old, but...I’m not sure. I do know it’s probably not a good idea to have them use their Lions right now. The Lions might get confused who is Keith and who is Lance and reject them, at least I think they might. The brain syncing isn’t something that was reported before, from what I can see, but...I have a few theories. I just need a few more days to test them. I think we can keep them running through holo deck simulations and typical training, testing their stress levels, see if we can purge whatever lingering effects the Gomophias did to them. It’s acting like a toxin, here…” She pulled up another data stream, tapping on a few key areas that came up as abnormalities in their brain chemicals. “I think if I can isolate it, I can remove it - or at least bind it so it won’t affect them.”

Shiro nodded, pleased. “Alright. Do it. We can’t outrun or hide from Zarkon forever. Coran’s almost mapped out where the Blade wants us to go, so we can prepare for their plan to free Slav. We need Voltron functioning just in case in order to do that.” Pidge nodded, knowing what was at stake.

Just as Shiro turned to leave, Pidge winced, staring at Keith’s data, remembering how upset he'd been earlier. Hearing the doors swoosh open, she turned and stared at Shiro’s back just as he was about to leave. “Wait. That’s not...everything.”

Shiro paused, tilting his head as he turned, raising an eyebrow at her. She sighed, setting aside her hologram device and struggled with how to put what had happened between her and Keith into words. She was good with numbers, not so much with emotion. “It’s...Keith.”

Shiro frowned, turning and closing the lab doors, sealing them in together, so that what she was about to say stayed between them. “Go on.”

She cast him a faint smile of gratitude before looking back over at Keith’s data. “Keith’s really struggling with...his heritage.” She glanced back over at Shiro, who was also staring at Keith’s biometrics, that marked him as a human/Galra hybrid. He frowned.

“I think he assumes we are judging him, about a past he knew nothing about,” she murmured. “I tried to talk to him about it earlier, when he asked me if he was doing better in bounding back from the Gomophia attack because he was half Galra, but he shut me down pretty hard.”

Shiro frowned, nodding slowly. “I’ll talk to him.”

When he turned to go, she winced again. “And Allura, too?”

Shiro slowed to a complete stop, turning to stare back at her once more. His expression was blank, but she got the sensation he knew what she was about to say, with the way his eyes darkened and narrowed.

“She’s--judgmental. I get it, she _hates_ the Galra, they destroyed her people,” Pidge murmured, frowning and shaking her head, glancing back at Keith’s biometrics. “But Keith isn’t the one that did that. He’s one of us, worthy of his Lion, and she needs to not look at him like he’s about to stab her in the back at any moment.” She canted her head his way, meeting Shiro’s eyes. “You know what I'm talking about.”

“I do,” he replied after several moments of lingering silence, staring at Keith’s metrics, before finally glancing back at her. “I’ll talk to her.”

Pidge let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, giving him a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

“Thank me by isolating the Gomophia toxin,” Shiro smiled back, then left the lab. Pidge reached for her hologram device, setting down to decode a chemical that wound do just that.

* * *

Lance paced outside the pool doors, knowing Keith was in there by peering like a total coward from the far side of the room, through the glass partition that separated it from the rest of the deck. He stayed far enough back Keith couldn’t sense him, since he couldn’t feel Keith in his head, either. He saw, rather than felt, Keith’s anger in how viciously he was swimming laps. The savage movements of his arms should have worn Keith out by now, knowing he’d had a three hour head start on Lance on the holo deck.

 _Quit being such a damn chicken!_ He snapped at his own inability to march in there, strip down to his trunks, and dive into the same pool that housed his crush. Still, staring at Keith made him nervous. What if what he felt wasn’t actual attraction? What if he was thinking wrong, thinking Keith liked him, but it was all in his head?

 _No,_ he instantly told himself, shaking his head. _Even Hunk picked up on it. Why would he have said that if he didn’t feel the same about me? I mean, at least….you know, lusty stuff. Maybe not_ **_liking_ ** _me, but - wants me. Yeah, he does…_ Lance finally stilled, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, then marched inside, the doors swooshing open with far less force than when Keith had stormed in on him earlier.

Just like before, within moments he could feel Keith in his head - his mood black, self-deprecating, and almost...sad. Lance’s concern welled up as did his nervousness, but unlike before - this time he wasn’t running. He turned, stripping down to his trunks, feeling Keith’s pitch thoughts turn slightly grey as he heard him pause in the pool, gasping for breath.

“What is it, Lance?” Keith muttered, by the edge of the pool. Lance frowned, turning to look back at Keith, who had stopped and rested against the side of the pool nearest to him, but he wasn’t looking at Lance. Turning, Lance moved towards the pool, unceremoniously jumping in near him, trying to churn through the confusing cloud that was Keith’s emotions.

They were like a sensory cyclone - anger, hurt, loneliness, alienation and isolation, hope, a sharp taste of lust - all of it was playing out, in an array of discordant notes that Lance couldn’t pick up and make sense of. _Christ,_ he turned, staring at Keith who finally stared back, his expression mutinous, _is this what you feel like all the time? No wonder you’re so angry and lash out at everyone._

“Hey,” he finally murmured, gathering his courage and swimming closer.

Keith looked torn, eyes flickering over Lance with unmistakable interest, but also hostility and wariness - as if when Lance had run it had made Keith bitter, expecting Lance to once more take off. Realizing that, guilt suddenly ate at his gut, along with his worry and concern from before. He hadn't realized the depth in which Keith felt isolated and alone and when Lance had been focused on his own mixed emotions, Keith had read them as rejection. As if on cue, Keith scoffed suddenly, snarling as he looked over Lance once more - like a cornered animal ready to lash out at its attacker rather than be hurt once more - and Lance realized he must have been feeling his concern and mistook it for pity. Before he could open his mouth and state otherwise, Keith was sloshing forward in the water, dark eyes blazing, as he spit out his next few words.

“Listen, if you’re here to give me some dumbass pep talk, just can it,” Keith snapped, turning to move towards the ladder that would take him out of the pool. Lance panicked that he'd ruined this before it had even begun, following him. “Pidge already tried that shit on me earlier and I’m not in the mood.”

“That’s not why I came,” Lance tried to assure him, making Keith flinch when Lance’s hand connected with his shoulder. He swallowed down his nervousness, focusing on what he could feel from Keith - and Lance watched in fascination as a shudder rippled through Keith’s frame. It was _fear_ he felt, and loneliness.  _Oh, Keith, don't,_ his thoughts sighed as his fingers tightened and he swam forward, but as soon as those thoughts welled up with his concern, Keith's emotions flipped into completely new, unmistakable territory. Lance went still, sucking in a sharp breath, as soon as _those_  sensations blasted him and Keith suddenly turned, staring at Lance with heated interest. 

 _Oh yeah,_ Lance swallowed, eyes widening as Keith’s eyes narrowed, dropping to his mouth. _You’re definitely into me - at least for_ **_that._ ** _I had...no idea. I always thought I just ticked you off._ When Lance went to pull his hand back, now that he had his attention, Keith grabbed his wrist - tight - and jerked him up against his frame, making Lance yelp in surprise when he found himself tight against Keith's body. Once more, his body turned molten and his pulse went into overdrive. He was achingly aroused and Keith _had_ to feel it, as tightly pressed as they were to one another.

“Then why _did_ you come?” Keith asked, his tone growing hard, sounding almost like a growl. The sound of his voice turned his stomach to jelly and his cock into stone. _Fuck, that's hot._ Lance slowly lowered his eyes, taking in Keith's form in a way he would never have had the courage to do otherwise in the past, but today he'd do it, just so Keith could see he wanted him - _all_ of him - and let him in. He could sense those delicate emotions in the back of the area Keith occupied in his brain, what wasn’t  drowned in the sudden sharp taste of lust. It was hesitate and afraid, but it was unmistakable hope. It made Lance's heart break that Keith felt so rotten about his heritage that he had to feel relief and hope that someone wanted him on some level. 

 _I do, Keith. I want you._ Not knowing how else to demonstrate it, he pressed closer, touching him - skin to skin, torso to torso, hips to hips. Slowly, he shuddered, not failing to notice that Keith stared at him hungrily in return, his dark gaze nearly black with need, his thoughts turning a tangled red, his lust riding him. When Keith suddenly shifted fast, grabbing hold of his hips with his free hand in a blur of motion and pressed his own down against Lance’s tightly, he could feel Keith's erection. The mere sensation had a groan escaping Lance's lips, making Keith flash him a smirk.    _Jesus, you’re...big. God._

"You just gonna stare at me, Lance? Or you gonna do something about this?" Keith asked, his tone guttural, as he ground his hips into Lance's own, rubbing their cocks together. _Fuck._

Staring into Keith's eyes, he finally smiled back, flashing a hint of teeth. _Yeah,_ he thought, lowering his eyes. _I'm going do something about it - right now._

Sucking in a sharp breath, he tilted his head forward, taking a leap of faith, and kissed Keith with everything he had in him.


	4. Chapter 4

Allura sat back, staring at the ceiling of her quarters from her bed, frowning as she mulled over the state of the team and the two downed paladins against their upcoming plans. As when she’d first heard of the idea when Keith and Shiro had returned from the hidden base of Galran spies seeking to take down their leader, she grit her teeth, thinking what her father and others of her species that had died at the hands of Zarkon must think of her agreeing to the Marmora’s initiative to free the scientist Slav and use his genius to infiltrate and take down his home base.

Whenever she thought of the Marmora, she thought of Keith. Knowing what he was made her bones turn cold and hard inside her frame, her brain reacting on pure instinct. **_Enemy._ ** _He’s half of the_ **_enemy._ ** _Half of the Galra I’ve hated all my life is on_ **_my_ ** _ship, using one of my Lions, eating and sleeping near all of us._ Just as soon as those thoughts percolated in the back of her brain, shame came with them. She recalled all the countless times Keith had fought and rescued those who couldn’t rescue themselves from Zarkon’s reign - and others of the team, _herself_ included - and hated her reaction to knowing what he was.

As if on cue, Platt roused beside her on the pillow at her side, from where her little menagerie of space mice companions slept. He yawned, stretching his fat little body, tilting his head as his whiskers twitched and his small glassy eyes met hers. She sighed, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling briefly, feeling the prickle of concern welling up from the small creature, before glancing back its way and shrugging a shoulder. “What all did you witness?” She asked it, waiting for it to finish its inspection of her troubled mind.

 _So many thoughts,_ it said back, using that telepathic link she’d discovered they had quickly after her reanimation from the cryotube her father had sent her into a slumber that had lasted ten thousand years. _Many troubled,_ **_angry_ ** _thoughts,_ he said, his tone implying sadness.

 _Yes,_ she sighed again, giving the largest mouse in the group a troubled frown. _It makes me feel immense guilt, having them, but yet --_

Before she could continue, she heard her name spoken over the comm system from the earbud in her left ear. “Allura? A word?”

It was Shiro. She knew he never troubled her when she was off duty unless it was of major importance, so she rolled to a sitting position, straightening her hair. “Yes, Shiro? What is it?”

Silence followed as she rose, moving to check her appearance in the mirror by the door. She frowned, noting Shiro’s lack of usual tact. “Shiro?”

“Nothing official, this is a personal matter. Can you meet me on the main castle ship deck in ten? Coran is assisting Pidge, they discovered what attacked Keith and Lance. I’d like a word before they talk to them.”

That made her smile, straightening her shoulders, dismissing the reservation in his voice as concern for the paladins and their ability to form Voltron. “Yes, of course. I’ll be there shortly.”

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Platt staring at her with what could only amount to small, animal-like concern once again. She smiled, moving towards him and tucking him closer to his peers. “Sleep, little one. I’ll be back soon.”

Before she could move away, Platt curled his fat tail around her finger, staring up at her with oddly intelligent eyes. She paused, knowing something was on his mind, allowing him to take his time to speak in words what didn’t come easy to him.

 _The boy is alone and afraid,_ Platt finally spoke, making her spine prickle with unease as guilt began to fill her mind once more. _But he has another in his corner, the brown-haired skinny one._ Allura blinked in surprise as Platt yawned, flashing his canines, then moved to the other space mice, curling close. Did he mean _Lance?_

 _Don’t judge him by the acts of others. Let his own actions speak for themselves,_ Platt finally murmured back to her before falling asleep, curled up with his small furred family. Allura frowned, then headed for the door.

 

* * *

 

Somewhere in the back of Keith’s mind, as he groaned and gripped Lance’s thinner form against his harder one, relief sang soft and sweet. He could tell, as he allowed his basal instincts to ignite and fuel the sudden lust he felt to dangerous levels, that the gentle notes of Lance’s obsession with him soothed that dark, jagged part of himself that felt isolated and alone. It was why, despite having never even _suspected_ that Lance secretly harbored feelings for him - let alone _romantic_ ones - he was so easily eating up the male’s spontaneous kiss.

 _More,_ his mind chanted, as he tugged Lance closer, hands delving to cup his ass, rock his hips into him, and groan out his need in a hoarse, husky note he barely recognized. He knew he should think this through, what he was doing, but the larger, lust-fueled part of him was stronger. The logical part of him didn’t stand a chance to convince his body to pull back and pay attention to what he was about to start between him and a member of the crew - he wanted Lance _now._

Suddenly, he didn’t want this interrupted - not for _anything -_ and pulled back to secure them some privacy, flashes of when Hunk had strolled into the pool hitting the back of his mind, sending his lust into a dark, jealous spiral. This time, they would _not_ be interrupted.

“Wait,” he grit out, even as Lance’s kisses dropped down, his tongue laving at Keith’s collar bones. He grunted again in pleasure at the feel of Lance tracing the hollow of his throat, nipping at his skin with his teeth, until he felt Lance register his words, slowly tensing and pulling back, eyes widening.

Keith gripped his hips when he felt Lance’s emotions stutter back towards a vivid embarrassment, wanting to pull away once more. _“Wait,”_ he hissed, leaning forward and pressing quick, hungry kisses against his mouth. “I don’t want to be interrupted this time.” Looking over his shoulder, he took Lance’s wrist, tugging him towards the ladder as they waded the shallow water of the pool. “Come on. The showers.”

Lance flushed, the lust returning tenfold in the back of Keith’s brain, and he forced himself to climb, waiting impatiently for Lance to follow. When the male was up and out of the pool, he didn’t wait, yanking him along. Part of him knew they should stop, talk things out before they escalated to becoming lovers, not wanting to intentionally hurt Lance’s feelings - sensing concern, worry, and perhaps traces of adoration in the haze of lust that plumed in the back of Keith’s mind - but he was thinking only on the physical, immediate need of wanting to be _desired_ by someone, not stared at like a freak of nature or an outcast.

“ ‘Cmere,” he whispered once they were in a shower stall, slamming down on the privacy button that would enact the sensory shield, clouding the glass and hiding the user of the shower stall from prying eyes. _Perfect_. Lance did as he asked, finding Keith’s mouth again with his own, threading his fingers through Keith’s hair, and he groaned again, reaching for the fastenings of Lance’s swim trunks.

Lance tensed but shuddered when Keith made quick work of the stretchy waistband, tugging them down and allowing Lance to shift closer, the wet garment slowly sliding down his legs. Keith found his cock, a pretty curved thing - thick and lengthy enough it pleased Keith, but not unmanageable. Gripping him with tight fingers, he pumped - once, twice, three times - making Lance moan again against his mouth as his cock swelled and twitched against his palm. The pad of his thumb traced the tip of Lance’s cock, pleased at the slickness there, telling him Lance was heavily aroused, already dripping precum from his slit.

“You’ve got a pretty cock,” he muttered under his breath, leaning his head back when Lance shuddered the longer he fondled him, pulling his hips away and tugging Keith’s swim trunks off his own hips. As his cock slipped loose from Keith’s grip, he frowned, glancing back down as Lance stared, swallowed, then eagerly went to his knees - his eyes staring with visible longing at his cock. He shuddered, pleased he met Lance’s approval. Like Lance, he wasn’t small, perhaps slightly larger than Lance himself, but not huge by any standards. Still, Lance seemed to like him and it flustered him more than he cared to admit, feeling his balls tighten as Lance licked his lips and slid forward.

“What are you -- _oh fuck.”_

Lance didn’t say anything - no warning, just action - opening his mouth wide, laving his tongue along his cock, then sucked him down strong, all the way to the root. The moan that vibrated up his shaft, all the way to his balls, told him Lance wanted this. It didn’t help his own sense of calm, feeling Lance’s lust spike to a heady cherry red color in the back of his mind as he sucked him until his cheeks hollowed out, his tongue doing things to his cock that he’d never felt before. He wasn’t a virgin, but he wasn’t exactly a player, either, his temperament never landing him many lovers before they’d left Earth and headed for Allura’s home planet, to become part of Voltron.

Reaching up and gripping the back of Lance’s head, threading his fingers tight through his cropped brown locks, he canted his hips up, towards the male’s mouth, shuddering out a raspy expletive as Lance took him easily, surprising him with his skill. “ _Fuck_ , that’s good,” he groaned, his head falling back against the shower stall wall with a faint thud, his cock jolting in Lance’s mouth as he sucked him deep once more. “You done this before? _Shit.”_

Lance shook his head, the action making him gag slightly and have to pull back as Keith pressed upwards again in a spur-of-the-moment decision, making Keith smile as he looked down, loosening his grip in Lance’s hair. He let Lance set the pace then, as much as he wanted to hold tight in Lance’s loose locks and pound his hips forward, shoving his cock down Lance’s throat, until he was choking on his cum. The staggering lewdness of his thoughts had him shuddering, blinking back shower spray when the water cycle came on, pelting them both in soft warm water.

“ _Christ_ , you give amazing fucking head. _Jesus_ , suck me. Yeah, like that - _fuck,_ that's good.” Lance worked him over, spurred on by his babbling praise, sliding his lips and tongue along his cock, his fingers clenching tightly to his thighs before venturing up higher, exploring his balls. Keith groaned, ratcheting his hips forward at the jolt of arousal that sparked inside him at the feeling of Lance’s fingers gently tugging on his sac, almost coming before he was ready.

“ _Fuck, wait,_ go slow,” he rasped, watching Lance’s lashes flutter, his brow furrowing, as he struggled again to take Keith all the way down, but seemed to do just that - if from sheer willpower alone. “I want to make this last -- _shit, fuck_ , stop for a minute.” He winced, battling his own arousal, his ripcord need to come, but Lance lingered, merely fondling his balls, opening his eyes to stare up as Keith struggled to get control of himself. Slowly, his body backed away from the edge and he tightened his fingers in Lance’s hair. “Okay. Now.”

Keith realized, as he watched Lance obey every command he whispered, flushing bright pink at every dirty phrase he said, that Lance was doing his damnedest to please him, never having done this before - blowing his mind as thoroughly as he was his cock - just because he wanted him so viciously.

Lance listened, adjusting his movements, his hands, even his breathing and the swirl of his tongue when Keith barked at him to do so, dragging out Keith’s razor edge of arousal until it was almost painful from denying himself the release his body so desperately needed. He stared, seeing Lance’s cock dripping heavily, groaning as Lance paused a moment to rest his mouth, pulling back a moment to take a steadying breath, opening his eyes briefly to look up as Keith stared down at him, and the connection of their gazes once more surprised Keith at how much he wanted this - whatever it was - going on between them. His cock throbbed, vicious and strong, reminding him how eager his body was to spend itself.

“Work me,” he grit out, canting his hips forward again, still staring into Lance’s eyes as he tunneled his cock deeper into Lance’s warm, hot mouth. “Make me come. My balls are about to explode. I need to-- _fuck_ ,” he groaned, just as Lance’s eyes closed and he took the command for what it was, his sucking once more turning intense and fast, his head bobbing growing frantic, his fingers fondling his balls, the base of his shaft, until orgasm once more loomed in the back of his mind. “Yeah, like that. Harder, faster, suck me _harder,_ I’m going to-- _ah shit,_ I’m-- _fuck!_ ”

The orgasm rolled through him, bursting up from the base of his spine, rolling through his balls, shooting out the tip of his cock until all his muscles seized and spasmed against the ever-moving suction of Lance’s mouth and tongue. He groaned, gripping Lance’s hair tight, then loosening his fingers as his body stuttered and plunged over that cliff, stroking his cheeks with the pads of his thumbs, flushing slightly at the sound of his own ragged moans and Lance’s softer, muffled ones, opening his eyes at the last second to watch Lance swallow and lave at the tip of his cock, his lips slick with spit and cum, making him shudder.

 _Jesus fucking Christ,_ he weakly thought, realizing that was singularly probably the best orgasm he’d ever had.

He slumped against the wall, feeling Lance’s well of satisfaction and blunted hazy lust in the back of his mind, as he stood, curling against Keith’s still shuddering form, trying to recover from that killer orgasm he’d managed to suck out of him. As he stared, Lance smiled back, the expression coy and playful, seemingly pleased, making him chuckle under his own breath as Lance stared, his own cock still hard but Lance seemingly in no hurry to address it.

Keith, for his part, could barely form sentences, staring at Lance with awe on his face. “That was…” He sighed, shaking his head, pulling Lance closer, nudging Lance’s stone hard erection with his hip, “...fucking amazing. _God._ ” He shuddered, leaning his head back, staring into Lance’s heating face, amused at the plume of red coloring the apples of his cheeks. “You’ve _never_ …?”

“No,” Lance chuckled, shaking his head. Keith stared, amused, reaching between them to grip Lance’s cock with his fingers and beginning to pump idly, watching Lance’s eyes hood and his expression grow lax as he groaned at Keith’s ministrations.

Just as Keith began to escalate it, he heard static over the comm system in his ear. He froze, gritting his teeth as irritation flared - hot and hard and insistent - and he barked out his reply, refusing to let go of Lance’s cock even as his eyes widened and he tried to pull away. “ _Yeah?_ What is it?” _Seriously, what the fuck? Why does this always happen whenever we’re in the middle of starting something?_

“...Keith?” It was Shiro, making Keith’s lips thin into a tight line as Lance’s own went wide as saucers. Again, he refused to let go of Lance, turning and pinning him against the wall as Shiro’s voice paused over the intercom, Keith’s grip going tighter, pumping harder, until a small yet significant groan burst past Lance’s lips. “Where are you? Training?”

“Yeah, kinda busy, too,” he commented tersely, staring into Lances wide blue eyes, all while he continued to fist fuck his cock, rotating his grip in slick, controlled movements provided by the shower head still beating down over their heads. “What is it?”

“Where are you? I need to talk to you.”

“Endurance testing,” He spat out, watching and _feeling_ Lance’s embarrassment and lust ratchet up and begin to spiral out of control. The redder Lance’s emotions grew, the closer he knew he was to coming. Sudden, intense satisfaction ricocheted inside his skull, wanting Lance to climax staring into his face, no matter what they were doing - or who they were talking to. “Look, call you back in five.”

“Is Lance with you? Pidge told me he wasn’t training as hard.”

Keith almost grinned at Shiro’s seemingly innocent comment, all while Lance panted, his fingers coming up to grip Keith’s shoulders, the blunted nails of his fingertips digging in - _hard._ That was going to leave a mark in the morning, but the very thought satisfied him. Lance, for his part, closed his eyes, gritting his teeth, even as Keith growled and pumped him _harder_ , daring him to come.

“Yeah. We’re in the middle of a sparring sesh, so we’ll get back to you. Keith, out.” Keith said, blipping off the comm system, then leaned forward, inches away from Lance’s face. Lance’s eyes opened again, staring into Keith’s, and Keith _needed_ to feel this. He didn’t know why, only that he did.

“Come,” He rasped, watching rapture twist Lance’s features, just as the lust he felt from him in the back of his mind mushroomed into something cataclysmic, rattling loose a shocking emotion from Keith as Lance cried out, spurting in long, white arcs across Keith’s chest, hips, and tight-fisted grip.

 _Love._ Lance _loved_ him. Keith stared, startled, his eyes widening as Lance groaned his name brokenly, his cock pulsing underneath his fingers, even as he swallowed, a sadness entering his eyes and his emotions as Keith stared back, dumbfounded and not knowing what to say.

 _Christ, I’ve fucked up,_ Keith struggled to come up with what to say, as Lance slumped forward, curling his arms around Keith. He pressed a quick kiss to Keith’s shoulder, but Keith could feel Lance withdrawing - emotionally and physically - as his eyes lowered and he turned, moving to stand fully under the beating shower head spray.

 _Someone actually_ **_loves_ ** _me,_ he thought, speechless, staring as Lance went through the motions of showering, all while seemingly hollow down the bond they now shared, his expression blank and difficult to read. _Someone knows what I really am and_ **_doesn’t care_ ** _and loves me anyways._

Suddenly, something vicious ripped through him, seeing Lance pulling back. _No._ He shot forward, shoving Lance against the wall, startling him until his gaze snapped up, confusion blooming in the back of Keith’s mind, along with that searing bitter-laced emotion of hope, and Keith caged him in with his hands, threading them through Lance’s hair, kissing him again roughly.

 _I don’t know what the hell to think, but_ **_don’t shut me out._ ** _Don’t do that._ Lance must have understood his roiling mass of conflicting emotions, because he seemed to soften, that small part of whatever area of Keith’s brain he occupied softening with concern, worry, and, yes - _love._

Keith shuddered, forcing himself to soften his kisses, but continuing them long enough that Lance began to chuckle, nudging him back and under the shower head, and Keith finally relaxed and let him, pulling back and staring in satisfaction at Lance’s mouth-bitten lips. Lance, seemingly satisfied that Keith very much wanted him, even if he didn’t know what the hell he’d started or how he felt about whatever was going on between them, gave him a coy smile and began to soap his shoulders.

Keith, standing there, staring through the spray, sighed and smiled back, closing his eyes and tilting his head back when Lance began to wash his hair, as the sense of dread at being abandoned again lifted.

 _Don’t go,_ he internally pleaded. _Don’t_ **_ever_ ** _go._

* * *

 

Allura entered the castle ship’s main deck, peering about, seeing no one manning the area, the ship’s autopilot engaged. Frowning, looking around, she steered herself towards the back panels of the main flight deck, towards the area Shiro usually held team meetings, spotting him as she came around the corner from where the castle ship’s main engine interface was located.

“You wanted to see me?”

Shiro glanced up, but she noted out of the corner of her eye he’d been staring over Keith and Lance’s biometrics with a frown. He glanced over her form, nodding, closing out the view screens and leaning against the holographic table that displayed the Marmora Plans they’d strategized over the past few days while they’d been gathering mineral deposits for the ship’s systems. “Yes. Thanks for coming. How are you?”

Allura blinked, raising an eyebrow, not expecting a trivial question from Shiro. She admired that about him - the one singular older paladin on the ship, who could navigate conversations like Coran and herself - mature and wise for his age, with a head for tactics and very little bullshit. Now, the sudden question regarding her _feelings_ had her on edge. “Fine,” she replied pointedly, crossing her arms over her chest, tilting her head. “Why do you ask?”

Shiro stared at her so long, she almost shifted uncomfortably on her feet, her eyes narrowing in response to the contemplative stare on the black paladin’s face. Finally, he spoke, just when  she was about to remind him _who_ was in charge on this ship - _her._ “I was told you’ve been having some issues with Keith.”

Allura froze, keeping her expression stoic, as she stared back. Her mind whirled, back to the small, introspective pep talk she’d received from Platt prior to coming here. Rage and guilt warred for dominance in her mind, but she kept her face blank, blinking slowly. “What makes you say that?”

Shiro stared at her for a few moments, saying nothing, then pulled up the biometrics of Keith and Lance, zeroing in on their DNA makeup. Lance’s profile blazed _‘human’_ loud and clear, and Keith’s murky origins were also displayed, rankling Allura’s internal thoughts - _‘human-Galra hybrid.’_ He turned back to her, then pointed at both their profiles. “This makes me say that. As does the observations of the crew. They’re concerned you're silently judging Keith for what he didn’t even know about - his Galra heritage. Tell me, are their concerns warranted? True? _Do_ you consider Keith a risk for the team because he’s half-Galran?”

Anger quickly exploded in the back of her mind, instantly putting her on the offensive, but she knew Shiro’s tactic well - she’d exercised it herself a time or two when trying to acclimate her paladins to their new duties and sense of importance for what they had to do to defeat Zarkon. Just as those memories floated to the surface, so did the guilt of her irrational hatred for that side of Keith - the side that had destroyed her people, made countless species suffer - and she glanced back at Shiro, seeing him stare impassionately at her. He was doing his best to remain an unbiased observer, trying to show her that her responses were anything but, when they should be.

Finally, she shrugged a shoulder, frowning and sighing and rubbing a finger between her brows. “Yes...and no,” she finally answered honestly, making Shiro frown her way. She raised her hands when he looked about to ready to say something, no doubt to chastise her on her subpar leadership skills as of late, especially where Keith was concerned. “Logically, I know he did nothing, but emotionally….”

“...you feel he represents the very thing that ripped your loved ones away,” Shiro quietly finished for her. She blinked, nodding, watching Shiro turn and wipe away the biometrics he’d pulled up. Shiro sighed, shaking his head slowly, glancing back at her and surprising her with the understanding she saw flickering there. Her shoulders relaxed, surprising her that she’d been worried he’d react badly to her slip in diplomacy and leadership, suddenly feeling queasy with realization of what unforeseen impacts her attitude - while not spoken, had clearly been visible enough that members of the team confided in Shiro and had asked him to address it with her - had affected the team.

“How bad is it?” She whispered, swallowing, her eyes tightening with the downward tug of her lips as shame welled up inside her. “Does Keith know?”

“Bad enough that Pidge sought me out,” Shiro explained. He frowned, not quite answering her question on whether Keith knew of her apprehension and distaste for his half-Galran status, but then - she didn’t really need him to confirm it. She’d witnessed Keith’s closed-off stares, had felt enough of his embarrassment in those dark eyes of his that often times refused to meet her stare after no more than a few seconds, and guilt flooded her once more as Shiro continued, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “I’ve felt a….roughness...to Keith ever since he returned with the blade, but I hadn’t thought it ran as deep as it did until Pidge told me.”

Shiro lifted his head, his arms crossing over his chest as he frowned at her and shook his head, making her wince with what he said next. “Allura...whatever Keith is, the Red Lion agreed with him and bonded with him, something you said couldn’t happen unless they were suited somehow. Doesn’t that _alone_ qualify him to be wholly part of this team and allow you to look past his heritage? Other than his genetic makeup, what other actions have you worried he’s a liability?”

“None,” she quickly replied, sensing what he was telling her. She sighed, nodding, shaking her head at her own inability to focus on the feelings and emotions of the rest of the team, too concerned with her own. “Where are they now? I need to address this.”

Shiro frowned at Allura, but nodded, seemingly pleased she was willing to address this head on. Tapping his comm system, he called into it, searching for Keith in the link. “...Keith?”

Allura’s eyebrows  rose at the sound of water running and the curtness of Keith’s response. _Where is he?_ Hearing the buried anger there, her guilt welled twice as strong, making her frown as Shiro seemed startled as well at the vehemence there. “ _Yeah?_ What is it?”

Shiro’s eyes met hers and he gave her a vague gesture, allowing her to steer the conversation. She thought fast, biting her lip, then decided, pinning him with her gaze. “Can they meet us on the holo deck, show us how they’re doing? I’ll show and...talk with him.”

Shiro nodded, turning his attention back to the conversation. “Where are you? Training?”

Again, that terse response, making Allura’s concern fluxuate into full-blown worry. _Why is he so angry? What have I done?_ “Yeah, kinda busy, too. What is it?”

Shiro frowned, trying to delicately word what he wanted. “Where are you? I need to talk to you.”

Keith sounded furious at that point, his words all but a few ground-down syllables. “Endurance testing. Look, call you back in five.”

Shiro frowned again, changing tactics. “Is Lance with you? Pidge told me he wasn’t training as hard.”

Suddenly, Keith’s voice seemed torn between amusement and frustration. “Yeah. We’re in the middle of a sparring sesh, so we’ll get back to you. Keith, out.” Shiro blinked at the rude  dismissal in Keith’s tone, but his comm had gone silent, telling them Keith had all but turned off his comm. He and Allura traded concerned stares.

“This is my fault,” she began, wringing her hands in worry. “I should’ve never acted this way to begin with. _Of course_ Keith is a trustworthy member of this team, it’s just -- with the Blade, and the memories of my father’s AI recently taking over the ship, it’s been difficult not to be upset, and I--”

“Hey, it’s equally my fault,” Shiro murmured, reaching forward and squeezing her shoulder. “I should’ve noticed long before Pidge told me her concerns. I’d sensed the change in Keith but didn’t think it had to do with this. We’ll talk to him together. Allura, you’re not perfect - no one is. Your responses are entirely normal, given what you’ve been through. So are Keith’s, but I do think we need to address this before it festers and splinters the team. Let’s give them a little breathing room and try and find them in about an hour, alright?”

Allura smiled back, Shiro continuing to impress her each day, reminding her of what a good team leader he made. “Alright.” Her eyes shifted, pulling up Lance and Keith’s biometrics once more, reading through them with a thoroughness she was afraid she hadn’t done before. Studying their charts, she blinked in surprise at what Pidge had noted about the suspected Gomophia toxin. “Is this right? Pidge thinks it was Gomophias?”

Shiro nodded, noting Lance’s metrics were much weaker than Keith’s, but they both steadily seemed to be improving, their heart rates strong. She smiled at the thought of Lance working with Keith, no doubt easing his fears of being alone and isolated.

“At least they seem to be working together, rather than competing against each other for once,” she offered helpfully, watching Shiro smile briefly and nod.

“I agree, it’s a nice change to see,” he commented, turning back to Allura. “In the meantime, shall we go see where Coran and Pidge are with the toxin isolation?”

She nodded, following him out of the castle ship’s main deck and towards the labs.

 

* * *

 

“You up for more? Or you tired? You-- _uh_ \--wanna come to my room?”

Keith’s sudden question made Lance’s heart rate once more pound out of control as he stilled, his eyes widening as he lifted them from where he’d been absently tracing Keith’s chest with his fingers, soaping him gently as he washed him, even if it was just an excuse to memorize how he felt underneath his fingertips. He colored, but nodded, biting his lower lip as Keith growled out a pleased response, pulling him close and kissing him, covering them both in soap suds. It didn’t miss his notice that Keith seemed just as handsy as he was, his cock already back to half-mast, eager and hungry for more. “You ever take anyone before? You know...here?” Keith reached back, tracing the cleft of his ass with two fingers.

Lance’s thoughts were a jumbled mess, but mostly - they were basking in what just happened. _Keith wants me. He wants to fuck me._ Briefly, he was reminded it seemed to be all physical for Keith, his response when he’d somehow sensed Lance’s love making him react in violent, dark emotions that felt stifled mostly with distress and confusion - as if Keith hadn’t thought past their sexual encounter and what it could mean on a deeper level. Lance knew it was unfair to react with sadness and dismay that Keith hadn’t been harboring secretive romantic notions for him all along as well, but the immediate reaction of rejection had stung so hard, he’d pulled away. When Keith had snarled and held him down, possessive panic riding him hard, Lance had eagerly moved back against him again, relaxing. It seemed while Keith didn’t know _what_ he felt for him, he didn’t want to lose it. For now, that was enough.

“N-No,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against Keith’s shoulder, tucking his face low, feeling his cheeks heat again with embarrassment. “I’m a virgin.”

Keith froze, shock flickering in the back of Lance’s mind. He wasn’t sure whether or not to laugh or shrink back with humiliation. Keith’s fingers suddenly tensed against his ass and Lance felt his cock stiffen. “Fuck - no one? Kissing? Girls?”

“No,” He murmured, lifting his head and sighing with a wince as Keith stared at him, surprise raising both his brows. He shrugged a shoulder, curling his fingers in Keith’s long locks, struggling to hold his gaze but forcing himself to. “I’m gay, Keith. The girls were--just a cover. You know how they treated gays back at the academy.”

Suddenly, white hot rage bloomed in the back of Lance’s mind, making him still in surprise. Keith was furious - _on his behalf._ “Those fuckers are morons, there’s nothing wrong with being gay, Lance, _fuck_. I hadn’t a clue, I…” He shook his head, scowling and tugging Lance close, pressing a hungry kiss to Lance’s mouth. Lance couldn’t help how he moaned, felt his own cock stiffen once more, and that love he hated let slip flared quietly beneath his skin. Keith, for his part, kept his grip firm, but began kneading his back gently. “You...fantasize being taken or doing the taking?”

Lance blinked slowly, suddenly laughing. “Are you asking me if I’m a top, bottom, or switch?” He grinned, watching Keith’s scowl deepen, the sharp blades of his cheekbones turning a dull shade of pink, but nodded all the same. Lance smiled, thinking of all the times he’d fantasized to Keith, admitting what he wanted. “Most of the time, you’re topping me,” he whispered, watching Keith’s gaze heat, his cock growing thicker as he went on, leaning forward and licking at his jawline. “But, on rare occasions, I wonder what it would be like to fuck you, too.”

“Hell yeah,” Keith panted, shuddering, reaching down and palming Lance’s ass again with both hands. His cock was full mast now and Lance didn’t miss how he nudged it against his hip. “Christ, I want in you.”

“What about you? What have you done before?” Lance whispered, suddenly curious and wanting to know. Keith’s head pulled back and he frowned, staring at Lance worriedly, making Lance chuckle as he felt Keith’s concern bloom in the back of his mind. _So, there are_ **_some_ ** _things you don’t want me to know, I see._ “Girls? _Guys?”_ His eyes widened at that. He knew Keith had to at the very least be bisexual for responding to Lance’s advances, but the silent confirmation Keith had bedded males in the past surprised him.

“Yeah, well, I was kicked out of school, remember? I was curious...so I tried a few things. With a few people. It’s not like it was a lot or anything,” Keith hastily added, his entire face coloring, making Lance slowly smile. “And never- _uh_ -like it was, you know, when you…”

That made Lance blush, pleased he’d practiced before, if only with toys. Keith had seemed to enjoy himself when Lance went down on him and to hear him say it was the best he’d ever had made his heart melt and his body respond eagerly with a spark of arousal. “Should I do that again?” He asked softly, reaching down and gently gripping Keith’s rock hard erection between his fingers.

“Later, yeah,” Keith murmured, turning Lance and pressing him up against the wall. “But right now, I really, _really_ want to fuck you. Do you trust me?”

Lance nodded, swallowing and closing his eyes. “Yes.”

“Good. Spread your legs, press up against the wall. I need to…” Suddenly, he felt Keith press a finger against his rim, circling him and making him shudder. He slowly pressed in, making Lance gasp, and Keith groaned and pressed up against him, his cock throbbing against the left globe of his ass. “ _Fucking hell,_ you’re tight. I’m not even going to last five seconds inside you.”

With the way his own cock felt, he doubted he would, either. “ _Do it,_ Keith. Oh _please, fuck_ , keep doing that. Can you put your cock in?”

“Not unless you want it to hurt like hell,” Keith panted, groaning as he curled his fingers, gently moving them in and out, feathering them up against something inside Lance that made him jolt. _Fuck, that there -_ **_right_ ** _there - feels_ **_amazing._ ** “Oh, I see I found it already,” Keith commented, seemingly pleased, even as he groaned again, slowly loosening Lance’s hole. He’d never felt anything quite like this, shuddering and groaning himself as his cock twitched, already feeling the pin prickles of orgasm faintly tugging at his gut. He’d fingered himself, sure, with toys and his own hands, but Keith seemed infinitely more skilled than he was, already finding a spot deep inside that turned his bones into butter and spurred his cock to within a hair’s breadth of climax. _Fuck._

Suddenly, Keith’s fingers were gone, and Lance whimpered in protest, but soon it was replaced with a blunt, slightly searing sensation - Keith’s cock - pressing insistently inside. He gasped, then groaned, relaxing as Keith instructed, all while taking him inside him - inch by inch. Keith grunted faintly, pressing slow, showing Lance how to spread his thighs further, loosen and arch his back, and slowly he bottomed out, his cock throbbing from where he was buried. Keith was a thick, heavy presence inside him, and when Keith slowly changed his angle, gripping Lance’s hips and canting them just _so,_ he managed to press against _that_ spot again, making Lance bark out a sharp cry of ecstasy.

“That good, babe?” Keith panted, slowly pulling back, then  thrusting forward just as gradually, hitting that spot _again._

 _God, yes,_ Lance thought, reaching behind him and grabbing Keith’s forearm from where he held his hips in place, groaning loud and unencumbered as Keith ground his hips in a slow, circular motion. Whatever  he was doing, it kept hitting and carassessing _that_ spot, making Lance arch upwards suddenly and spasm. Suddenly, he felt himself coming, but when he eventually regained his senses, he felt Keith  panting in his ear, a smug growl escaping him. “Feel good?”

Lance frowned, blinking, feathering his fingers down the shower stall wall, still feeling his cock hard and ready. “Holy fuck, yeah. Why am I…?”

“Different kind of orgasm,” Keith supplied, his tone smug. “You’re not the only one good at a few things.” Lance colored, but groaned as Keith began to fuck him in earnest now, picking up his pace. Lance panted, still finding it achingly slow for his tastes, but Keith assured him he’d thank him in the morning. Keith grunted as Lance’s fingernails dug into his skin, and his thrusts deepened.

“Touch yourself,” Keith rasped, his tone guttural. “I’m fucking close. _Fuck,_ you're tight. _God,_ you are gonna -- _shit,_ I’m nearly there. _Touch yourself.”_

Lance didn’t have to be told twice, already skating on the precipice again himself. He could feel Keith’s impending orgasm bearing down on them both - in the back of his mind, in the desperate way Keith fucked him - sparking the need for his own, as he frantically gripped his cock, squeezing and pumping himself in the way that always got him off good and thoroughly, feeling Keith’s lust reach critical levels.

Just as he felt Keith stiffen, groan and press deep, growling out his name as his cock twitched - then kicked _hard -_ pumping him full of Keith’s hot seed, his own orgasm rolled through him with shattering force. He arched, feeling Keith’s grip turn almost painful, as he ground his own spurting cock _deep_ , then his teeth as he bit down on his shoulder, sending his cock into a convulsive, blinding explosion, shooting arcs of his own release over the wall and his loosening grip.

“ _Fffucking hell_ ,” Keith groaned weakly, his voice sounding rusty and hoarse. Gently, he felt Keith pull out, wincing slightly at the movement, realizing now with reddening cheeks what Keith meant about taking it slow at first. “That was-- _shit_. Amazing. We’re doing that again...very soon.”

Lance struggled to stay upright, but when Keith sagged against him, he relaxed, pleased he wasn’t the only one shaken up by the intensity of their shared orgasm.

Suddenly, as was their luck, the comm system once more crackled into an open line in both their ears. “Guys?”

It was Pidge. She seemed pleased, even excited. They both stared at one another, sharing a curious glance. Keith reached up, turning his comm on. “Yeah?”

“Come to the lab. I think we can fix what’s wrong with you two. After I give you this injection, we’ll have you test the Lions.”

Lance grinned, perking up. _They were going to be okay? Free of whatever this was?_

Still, when he met Keith’s eyes, they had grown cold and distant, a savage frown tugging at his features. Lance blinked, surprised at the hostility he sensed from Keith, who must have felt his elation at the news that she’d discovered whatever had caused the brain syncing. _Wait - I’m confused. Why is he upset?_

Frowning, he opened his mouth to ask that very thing, but Keith responded tersely then shut the comm down, staring at Lance briefly with a shuttered expression. ‘Yeah, we hear you. We’ll be there in ten. Keith, out.” When Lance probed in the back of his mind that Keith occupied, he was shocked at the amount of anger and hurt radiating from Keith - towards _him._

“Keith? I don’t…?” Lance began to ask, confused, but Keith turned away, moving towards the shower stall, reaching down and scooping up his wet trunks, then grabbing a towel, wrapping it around his hips. _What did I do?_

“I’m going to clean up. See you in the lab,” Keith tersely replied, walking out so quickly, it left Lance speechless. Lance blinked, staring at the spot Keith had just occupied, trying to make sense of why Keith felt hurt at the idea of them soon being cured, leaning down to pick up his own trunks and towel, heading with a puzzled frown towards his own quarters to change.


	5. Chapter 5

It took Keith all of five minutes after storming out of the showers and stalking towards his own private quarters to realize he’d monumentally fucked up. Dragging a vicious hand through his hair, he swore loudly at himself, peeling off the towel and soaked swim trunks he was wearing as he stormed through the swooshing doors of his bedroom and headed straight for the showers. He needed to clean up, appear at least slightly respectable when meeting Pidge, because he sure as hell didn’t want to mortify Lance any more than he already had, showing up smelling of sex and sweat. Just thinking about how Lance had sucked him, taken him into his body, made him grit his teeth as he shuddered, wrenching on the button controls to his own shower, stepping inside. His body still buzzed slightly from the two mind-blowing orgasms he’d had with Lance, tingling worse once the hot shower head beat water down over his hair, washing off the sent of the pool and sex from his body.

As he scrubbed, he couldn’t help but remember the way Lance had looked at him, both confused and utterly devastated, as he’d stormed out of the public shower stall just after Pidge had called, immediately reaching for what seemed easiest at the time - illogical anger and rapid-fire insults. It hurt, to see that grin on Lance’s face, just after Keith had felt the spear of hope score through his chest that Lance loved him. If he loved him, why was he smiling so fucking much at the thought of ripping away their connection? So, like a total jackass, he’d erupted with the first thing that came to his mind - utter indifference, like he didn’t give a shit that Lance’s smile tore at the gaping hole in his chest where his heart should be, but he’d learned over the past several weeks that - as a Galra - he might not actually have one. Allura was right, the Marmora could be lying for all they knew, and he was _one of them,_ for fuck’s sake. What else had his sick DNA done, or could do, to Lance if he let it?

He clenched his hands into tight fists, wanting nothing more than to break his own face, but - no. There would be questions when Pidge had called them to the lab, and no matter what his disgusting ancestry said about him, he had a job to do. He was a fucking paladin of Voltron and, if it was the _last_ thing he did, he’d use that Lion and his crew to make up for the sins of his heritage.

Still, it wasn’t Lance’s fault he was a goddamn trainwreck of a human-bei -- _No,_ his thoughts snarled, tangled and angry at himself, _not a_ _human_ \-- like just a fucking trainwreck whatever-he-was. Even with his issues, Lance hadn’t deserved that. Lance had just given Keith his fucking _virginity,_ for Christ’s sake, and he’d all but insulted him and stormed out, because - _what?_ Pidge mentioned that they’d found a treatment for their inability to be full paladins of Voltron because of this odd brain sync thing?

 _God, you’re such a fucking failure,_ his thoughts tore at him, making him turn and punch a fist sharply into the wall. It was better than hitting himself,  he reasoned, and did it again just to feel the sharp blaze of pain lance up his arm. It hurt like a son of a bitch but a whole lot less than his confusing thoughts. Lance _loved_ him, gave him his goddamned _virginity_ , and he freaked out because the silly lopsided smile he’d given Keith when Pidge told them this little brain syncing would be gone might mean Lance would be disconnected from him somehow. He desperately _needed_ that little cheat system they had currently, knowing _exactly_ where he stood with Lance, even if Lance didn’t want him to know, obviously, with how he’d reacted the first moment Keith had picked up on Lance’s attraction. It had just been nice, to have that. To _know,_ without a doubt, that he was _wanted._

Then, later, after they’d fucked - _or was that what it was?_ the back of his mind whispered back at him, _had they just been fucking...or something else?_ \- the monumental reveal had come.

_Lance loved him._

Then he had stormed out and acted cold, when Lance had laid it all out on the table for him - literally. Shuddering, hanging his head in shame, he finished scrubbing up and moved to get into suitable fatigues so he could maybe flag down Lance in the hall and talk to him, ignoring the sting of his bruised knuckles.

 _And say...what exactly?_ His thoughts barked back at him, making him wince as he tugged on a shirt over his head. _You want to be with him, too? Maybe, even, if you’re given half a chance to get to know him, could easily love--_

Keith jolted, eyes wide, shirt half-way pulled down his head. _Whoa, what?_ Had he just been thinking what he thought he’d been thinking?

Glancing over towards the closed double doors to the hall, he frowned, but began tearing on his clothes faster than he had three seconds ago. _Yeah, maybe. I don’t know, but--maybe. He doesn’t look at me like the others do. So, yeah…...maybe._

He had to beat Lance to that damned lab.

 

* * *

Lance sighed, dressing in a half daze after what had transpired in the showers...and what didn’t. He closed his eyes, fighting off the sting of rejection that he’d felt from Keith as soon as he’d turned and slipped out of the shower, but instinctively knew why Keith had done it.

Thinking back on what had just happened, he felt his whole face grow hot. He’d sucked off Keith _and_ let him fuck him. It had been fantastic, everything he’d ever hoped for, but then...reality had come crashing in, just as surely as the screeching sound of his alarm whenever he was having one of those dreams he often did about Keith.

 _Ask yourself,_ his thoughts buzzed in the back of his brain, as he knelt and laced up his boots, _do you really regret it, though? Even if it doesn’t turn out to be sunshine and roses like your mom always made it sound when you had sex the first time with someone you love?_ The resounding ‘no’ that echoed through his head had some of the heavy anxiety he’d felt curling in his gut lighten. He let out another soft sigh and stood, squaring his shoulders, eyes flickering to the clock. He’d be a little early, but - fuck it. He was clean enough, might as well get this over with.

As he walked, the doors swooshing open, and only the faint echo of his own footsteps to keep him company as he neared the lab, he thought back to all he’d felt in the back of his head as Keith had pulled away, eyes dark and expression immutable. He hadn’t been able to make out much by Keith’s outward appearance, but thanks to their entanglement with those alien fuckers, he’d had a clear glimpse inside the mangled mess that was Keith’s emotions.

There was anger, _lots_ of it, some directed outwards, but most of it inwards - like he was constantly disgusted with himself, like he somehow didn’t measure up. With that anger was smaller, laced patterns of vulnerability, loneliness, fear, and the lingering notes of sadness.

Scrubbing a hand across his face, Lance stilled as he neared the doors of the lab, seeing Pidge and Coran talking animatedly over a syringe cartridge. Lance blinked, surprised to also note Allura and Shiro standing nearby, talking to themselves, a more subdued and serious look on their faces. He briefly scowled at knowing Allura was here, fully knowing how Keith would react to her presence. If it was one thing that set off the dark taste of Keith’s mood, it was Allura’s judgmental looks. He’d seen it, as had the rest of the crew.

Steeling his spine, his jaw flexing - thinking of all the times Keith had silently endured the looks ever since they’d returned from the Marmora base  - he was going to make it clear that her judgemental attitude wasn’t welcome. They were a _family,_ just like Hunk had said, and there wasn’t any room for that shit. Keith had proved himself, over and over in all their various missions, and if Allura was going to hold a heritage he knew nothing about over Keith’s head, then -- he stopped, staring, his brows raising as he realized - he couldn’t work for someone like that. Allura could, easily, become someone just like Zarkon, viewing anything and everything different than her morals as _wrong,_ unworthy of understanding, just blatantly condemning an entire species because a few loose cannons decided to play Space Gods.

He’d seen Keith first hand, how torn up he was, especially now that they could _feel_ each other so deeply. So yeah, Allura’s little hoity toity looks at Keith pissed him off. Keith was a good man, a little hot-headed and edgy, but at the core - good, honest, and so worthy of love. It hadn’t occurred to him until the brain syncing how deeply the idea of him being half-Galra wounded Keith, so with Allura’s added hostile looks, it was a recipe for disaster. If nothing was said, Voltron would splinter apart, and then who would be able to take on Zarkon?

 _This shit has to stop,_ he realized, squaring his shoulders and intending to head inside, his gaze focused on Allura. W _e can’t let shit like this ruin us._ If he’d accomplish one thing today, it would be to make _damn sure_ Allura knew she needed to calm the fuck down with her attitude towards Keith. He, and the others, couldn’t lose him.

Just as he was about to storm through the lab doors, he heard his name being shouted across the long hall.

Blinking, looking over his shoulder, he paused, staring wide-eyed as Keith came barreling up, his eyes and expression more intent than he’d ever seen them. His eyes widened further, feeling a strong tug of something he’d never expected to ever feel from Keith, not in a _million_ years, tilting his head in confusion, about to ask what the hell Keith was up to, when the lab doors swooshed open and Pidge beamed a smile.

“Keith! We heard you coming. Lance, good to see you. Ready to get this over with?”

Keith skidded to a complete stop, an acidic clap of fear slapping at Lance’s senses. He blinked, opening his eyes, watching as Keith once more turned stone cold, eyes hard, and that anger was back, flooding his mind. He all but physically wrenched himself away when Lance reached for him.

Gritting his teeth, realizing that while he loved Keith, he was also tired of feeling slapped in the face by Keith’s tumultuous mood swings. He wanted Keith, desired Keith, even _loved_ Keith, but he was beginning to see that he couldn’t force Keith to do the same back. He had to do that on his own terms, and when he was ready? He’d welcome him with open arms. Until then, maybe it was best if Lance didn’t crowd him, his own emotions too strong to stay banked while Keith’s were such a clearly tangled mess. He turned, glancing at Pidge and nodding tersely. “We’re ready. Let’s get this over with. Where do you want me?”

Pidge flicked her eyes between the two of them, her brow furrowing. She hesitated, opening her mouth like she wanted to say something, then seemed to think better of it, something flickering in the back of her eyes behind her glasses, as she turned and gestured to the inside of the lab. “Why don’t you come inside and we can let you know the plan.”

Lance didn’t even bother to hear Keith’s words, stalking inside, ignoring the twisting painful feeling of rejection once more that couldn’t help but bloom up from the look Keith had given him.

* * *

 _God fucking_ **_dammit._ **

Keith watched Lance stiffly march inside, feeling Lance’s bleeding emotions like spikes across his heart. Lance thought Keith was _rejecting_ him, and he was so much of a social fuck up, he just stood there, saying _nothing,_ letting him think it.

 _Because you’re a goddamned Galra freak,_ his mind whispered at him, even as Pidge gave him another frown, turning to him, making him curse softly under his breath and march inside. So, okay fine, he’d take the damn treatment, and even if Lance vanished from the back of his head, he’d still corner him and make damn sure he knew how Keith still wanted him - his cock, his body, his annoyingly boisterous and sometimes stupid ass attitude, his - his throat constricted painfully as he thought the last word - _love._ He wanted that, too. _All_ of it.

So, it came as a complete shock when he rolled in the lab, eyes firmly planted on Lance’s retreating backside, than he nearly ran smack into Allura’s strong gaze. He immediately went ramrod stiff, his lips thinning. _Of all the fucking timing! Why is_ **_she_ ** _here? Fuck!_

“You came, good,” Shiro’s voice called to his left, making him jolt and swivel, seeing Shiro staring at him with an oddly penetrating stare. He smiled at him and Keith couldn’t quite make himself return the expression, still stewing over the fact Allura was also in the room and Lance was refusing to meet his gaze. “Pidge and Coran were just telling me about the enzyme inhibitor they created for the toxin the species that fed on you left in your blood that passed the blood-brain barrier. Coran? Pidge? Care to fill us in?”

Keith blinked. _What?_

Coran flushed a bright red but beamed, pleased to be the center of attention. “Most certainly!” He cleared his throat, gathering the others gazes, and Keith briefly glanced Lance’s way, noting again that Lance kept avoiding his stare since entering the room, nothing but subdued tones of flickering concern leaching into the back of Keith’s skull. Concern for _what_ , exactly? The injection therapy ahead? Piloting his Lion? Fighting Zarkon? _Him?_ God, he hoped it was him.

“As Shiro was explaining,” Coran went on, pulling up a holographic image of something similar to what Keith had seen attacking the Lion and Lance after, tapping the images, then revealing some odd chemical in their blood, “A carnivorous species of alien that usually feast on inorganic energy found itself stranded near a dying star, and locked onto your Lions. When Lance went to remove it,” Coran turned the image, making the pit of Keith’s stomach drop at what little clips they showed from what appeared to be Lance and his own visor, “they attacked you in turn. They act like some species of spiders Earth has seen, injecting a foreign substance in your bloodstream to incapacitate you while they…” Coran went quiet a moment, shrugging his shoulders and twirling his red moustache. “For lack of a better term--feed.”

Keith blinked, watching as Pidge came up beside Coran and took over explaining in, if he was asked, too much technical detail on what Lance and him were about to be injected with. All he heard was enzyme inhibitor, blocking the effects until the body naturally flushed out the system to avoid impacting their syncing with their respective Lions, _yadda yadda._ It meant fuckall to him, he was too busy staring at Lance, _willing_ him to look his way. When he didn’t, he felt his anger rise, but watched Lance’s jaw feather as Keith’s anger bloomed inside his skull. He almost scoffed, realizing Lance _knew_ he wanted him to look his way, he just wouldn’t fucking do it.

 _Yeah, well, you did sort of leave him standing in a shower, naked and wet, fucked raw with his heart on his sleeve, looking like you could give a shit less,_ his mind scolded him. He almost flinched from the cut-throat words of his own conscience, but it was true.

Pidge turned eagerly towards Lance, asking him to hold out his forearm. When Lance did it without so much as looking his way, Keith _did_ flinch that time when the syringe gun clicked, sounding like a gunshot in his head.

Just like that, Lance was gone from the back of his mind. Keith felt sick, feeling his gut turn hard and queasy all at once, and when Pidge turned to him, she frowned. “Keith? You feeling okay?”

He nodded, rolling up his sleeve and holding out his arm, doing his damn best this time to be the one not looking in Lance’s direction when the syringe gun went off. “Yeah, just fine,” he murmured, keeping his voice low.

* * *

Keith was not fine, Shiro noted, watching the color drain from his face as soon as the shots were administered and Lance and Keith given firm instructions by Pidge on how to train the next few  days. Lance, at least, seemed almost immediately recovered, his cheeks finally flushed a full healthy color. Keith, on the other hand, looked nearly ashen. When his eyes flickered to Lance, who was being oddly quiet for his normal cavalier attitude in the face of recovering from a mission, he frowned, his brow furrowing.

_Are they…?_

“Should we speak to him now, or during dinner?” Allura murmured at his side. He slanted his gaze towards her, noting her shoulders seemed tense, but she otherwise looked fully herself. Only Coran and him had noted the phantom strain in her body, the others having no clue on the internal turmoil seemingly eating the Princess up from the inside.

Flicking his eyes back to both the paladins in front of him - Lance stronger than he’d been in days but aloof, Keith looking ashen and rattled - he found himself shaking his head slowly. “Not now. Dinner’s only in an hour. The whole crew will be there, too. Best to air this with everyone in the room, so we don’t have to repeat ourselves.”

He watched Allura nod out of the corner of his vision, even as his frown deepened when Lance suddenly walked out of the room, muttering about testing his bond with the Blue Lion. It didn’t miss Shiro’s gaze that Keith visibly swayed like he’d been slapped. He felt surprise flicker through his bones at that. So, there _was_ something going on between them. He knew, of course, of Lance's fancy with Keith, but didn't realize it had actually blossomed into a real thing between them, until now.

Seizing on the opportunity, he rolled forward, pausing just before Keith began to turn, calling his name. “Keith, a moment.”

Keith turned, glancing at him with a confused frown, but watched as Keith all but turned into a cold-edged statue when he felt Allura join his side. “Yeah?” He muttered, dropping his gaze to the floor,  his tone brusque. “What’s up?”

Shiro traded a stare with Allura, who in turn looked at him with a concerned frown, noting that Pidge had begun tugging Coran out of the lab, towards the hall. He’d wanted to wait until dinner, but now seemed an opportunity he shouldn’t waste. “Something going on between you and Lance?”

Shiro felt the blast of Keith’s fury, even as the younger man said nothing, his expression turning hard. Shiro realized, too late, those had been the wrong choice of words to start with, watching Allura all but freeze up, her eyes going wide, flickering between Keith and the doors the others just exited out of.

“And if there was? What about it?” Keith growled back, his eyes narrowing. That was more than he expected the paladin to admit so Shiro paused a moment, hearing Allura’s sharp intake of breath. Keith’s head whipped in her direction, an expression close to a sneer flickering over his features. “Something on your mind, Princess? Does it sicken you that someone may want me, even with what I am?”

Allura blinked, her eyes going wide. “Keith, that’s not what—“

“Whatever,” Keith muttered, cutting her off, looking back to Shiro. “You need something? Otherwise I should be training, shouldn’t I? Or testing out the Red Lion?”

Shiro opened his mouth to command him to show some respect to Allura, his eyes clashing with Keith’s dark ones, but Allura’s sharp demand sliced through the tension in the room like a hot knife.

“Keith, _look at me this instant_.”

Keith looked like, for a fraction of a second, he was going to storm out of there. Shiro tensed, shocked at the depth of pure self-loathing and anger he saw in Keith’s eyes, but Keith once more turned to stone, his expression cold, as he canted his eyes towards Allura.

“I was meaning to say this at dinner, but seeing you now, I think it's best I say it now,” she started, her voice turning soft. She stepped closer and Shiro noticed how Keith tensed up, almost flinching, when  Allura took his hand. Allura, for her part, looked stricken, something Shiro had never seen her look like except once, when the castle ship’s AI had gone haywire and created a replica of her father that she had to take offline, effectively killing the last filament of her past and her previous family.

“I’m so very, _very_ sorry,” Allura whispered, her voice breaking. Keith tensed, his eyes narrowed, as if prepared for Allura to kick him off the team, but he froze, his eyes going wide, as Allura’s composure waivered and she sniffed back tears. “I _never_ meant to make you feel horrible about who you are. You are _not_ something I am ashamed or disgusted of, Keith. You are the Red Paladin of Voltron and you are a shining example of everything my father hoped this team would be. I am so _horribly_ sorry I’ve failed you, as a leader - as a link to my father and my people who suffered at Zarkon’s reign. This is my fault, making you think you’re anything but the great paladin that you are. Will you forgive me?”

Keith blanched, staring at her, before finally turning a panicked gaze to Shiro. He nodded, reaffirming what Allura was saying, clapping a hand against Keith’s shoulder. “We’re sorry if we ever made you feel unwelcome or unworthy. Pidge told me you talked to her. The crew is concerned about you.”

Keith trembled beneath Shiro’s grip and Allura’s face pinched tighter in concern, but to his credit, he didn’t seem to break down, only struggling to grapple with what they were saying, before a peace Shiro hadn’t seen in forever seemed to slowly descend over him. Finally, Keith smiled back at them both, squeezing Allura’s hand and laying another over Shiro’s own.

“Thanks. I, yeah, got lost a little in my head. I…” He shook his head slowly, frowning, lowering his gaze back to the floor before raising it again, giving Allura an odd stare before continuing. “Maybe one day, when this is all settled, I could...take some time off, see about my...mom? Why she left? Who she is? I can’t help but hope, that, maybe...she’s like the others at the base, and….”

“Good, like you?” Allura smiled.

Keith flushed, swallowing thickly as he lowered his gaze once more. “Maybe, yeah.” His voice was low, almost unreadable, and Shiro could sense the looming despair there, in case he did go searching for his mother one day, only for her to be the very kind of Galra Allura rightfully despised.

“Regardless of who your mother is,” Shiro spoke up, drawing Keith’s attention his way, “heritage doesn’t make you who you are. Your DNA doesn’t predispose you to being a monster, Keith, anymore than it does making you a saint or solider. You have to _choose_ the person you want to be, and…” He glanced over at Allura, who smiled, looking back at Keith. “...it looks like you’ve made some damn fine choices so far.”

Keith flushed but nodded, smiling tentatively back, but glanced over his shoulder, his expression closing off, looking subdued. Allura, sensing this was something she shouldn’t be in on, gave Keith a soft pat on his shoulder, then murmured about catching up to Coran, to test the wormhole generator.

“Lance knows that, you know,” Shiro said, just as Keith was about to pull away, his grip tightening on Keith’s shoulder. Keith blanched, looking up sharply, his eyes clashing with Shiro’s.

“You... _knew_ ?” Keith asked, his mouth slightly hanging open. “How _much_ do you know? How _long_ have you known?” He shook his head incredulously, rolling his eyes. “Jesus, I’m a fucking idiot. You knew and I didn’t have a clue.”

Shiro laughed faintly. “Of course I did. That’s my job, as leader, to pick up on these things.” He grinned faintly. “Besides, I was young once. Didn’t you ever see on the playground how girls or boys in school picked on the ones they liked? Lance was always egging you on and, well…” He shrugged, watching Keith color faintly, probably embarrassed he hadn’t connected the dots sooner, making him laugh as the young man beside him squirmed faintly.  “...by the way Lance always fought with you, making you two like oil and vinegar? It...made me suspect it was because he liked you a whole lot.”

“Christ,” Keith muttered, scrubbing a hand across his face. Shiro would never admit it, but watching Keith look as bumbled as Lance often did was an amusing show. “I fucked up so bad.”

That made Shiro blink, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Keith colored, tugging at his collar, avoiding his gaze. “You know this...brain syncing thing?”

Shiro nodded.

“Yeah, well, that sorta...blew the lid on his whole secret crush thing.”

Shiro stared blankly, not understanding. When Keith refused to look his way, coloring more, Shiro went rigid. _Wait, is he saying…?_

Keith began to nod, sighing and scrubbing at his temples. “I could feel Lance’s emotions, man. His attraction, and...a whole lot of other stuff. Lance could feel mine, too. So, uh…” He turned crimson and Shiro swore he felt his eyes bug out. _Holy cow, so they…._ He quickly raised a hand, not needing the details, but Keith seemed to sense that, quickly bumbling forward, a stricken expression flickering across his face as he cleared his throat, making Shiro pause.

“I may have...started things...then acted like an asshole when Lance wanted the serum. I--hell, I’m not good at this whole relationship thing. I’ve never even been in one. How do I tell Lance I want to be with him, yanno - romantically, after all I did?”

Suddenly, Shiro relaxed, smiling faintly, even as Keith missed it, staring at the floor, wringing his hands, fidgeting so badly over such an embarrassing confession he almost started pacing. When he finally met Shiro’s stare, pleading anxiety bleeding into his features, Shiro gave him his gentlest smile and shrugged a shoulder. “Be honest with him. Tell him how you feel.”

Immediately, Keith’s gaze went intense, even if it seemed suddenly distant. “Yeah, okay,” Shiro seemed to agree, turning quickly and looking ready to bolt out the door, but Shiro held him back for a moment. “After dinner, I mean. Give Lance a second to digest all this. For all you know, he may see it right now as just regret for hurting him. Let him cool off, then tell him, so he knows you’re being honest and not harboring alternative motives.”

Keith glanced over at Shiro sharply with a frown and Shiro shrugged, raising his hands in surrender. “It’s what I’d do.”

Keith looked to the doors again, snorting and scrubbing a fist through his hair. “Christ, I’m taking dating advice from my superior officer. This is humiliating.”

Shiro grinned. “But hopefully it’ll get you a boyfriend by day’s end.”

Keith smirked. “Hopefully. If it fails, I’m blaming it on you and beating your ass.”

Shiro laughed, glad to see the old Keith back. “Why wait? Want to spar off some of this tension before dinner? I’ve got a winning streak that has your continued defeat written all over it.”

Keith turned, eyeing him with a grin. “Challenge accepted.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to add one more chapter to this, as I have a specific ending in mind, but this seemed a good spot to break things and get an update out as I take another day or so to clean up the ending.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! This became a little more serious, a little less "comedy in space" than I originally intended, but -- I'm happy with the story. I hope you are, too! 
> 
> I'll have the ending up sometime this weekend.


	6. Chapter 6

Lance wandered into the cargo bay in a slight haze. He could feel Keith’s escalating panic and anger the longer he refused to look his way back in the lab, before the serum had been administered, and still felt sick that he’d refused to look his way but figured it was for the best. Later, after dinner maybe, he’d corner him and tell him he loved him unequivocally, but that perhaps they should not initiate anything between them again until Keith did some soul searching of his own and figured out what he _really_ wanted. He was just so desperate for affection right now, clinging to the first sign someone didn’t detest his very presence, to actually know what he wanted out of life - or a significant other. The decision stung, _badly_ , he wouldn’t lie to himself. He also knew it was the best choice to give Keith, even if he didn’t see it the same way at first.

He took a steadying breath, closing his eyes a moment, then looked towards the changing station that housed their battle and space gear. _If that choice ends up not including me, I’ll understand. It might hurt like hell, but I’ll understand._

It took him longer than he expected to sludge through the process of dressing in his paladin gear. Finally, though, he was slipping his visor down, helmet firmly in place, and looked over to where Blue was situated. Just as he was walking that way, he watched Allura wander inside the cargo bay alone.

Sighing, shaking his head minutely to himself, he turned, giving her a once-over before waiting for her to join him. She seemed to be searching for him, anyways, by the flicker of relief that flashed over her face when she finally saw him. She headed his way and he noticed that relief fade into something else entirely, surprising him. She smiled, but it seemed strained and subdued, her sudden hesitant attitude making him curious, but he wasn’t about to start a conversation, not until he knew why she was here. Still, he hadn’t seen that vulnerable look in her eyes for a while now - only once, really - but he also remembered her judgemental attitude had been what started Keith down his dark path in the first place. “Hi Allura. Something you need?”

“Yes, Lance. You, actually. I need to talk to you.” She said, once she was up close, a faint smile tugging at her lips. He blinked, arching an eyebrow, but she suddenly seemed to look past him, swallowing, and he turned, following her line of sight. She was looking over the Blue Lion, seeing it fully repaired after the Gomophia attack.

“It’s in good shape, Pidge and Coran did a good job repairing it...and me,” Lance finally offered her a smile, because she looked tense as fuck. When she still failed to say something, he briefly rolled his eyes while he was turned away, uncomfortable that she looked embarrassed, but still more than a little pissed at her treatment of Keith. Finally, he sighed and looked her way, forcing the sour attitude he felt out of his voice. “What’s up? I want to take it out before dinner, so…”

“It’s about Keith. You...and him? Are...together?” She asked, canting her gaze back his way, her tone soft but still probing. She caught his gaze before hastily lowering it for a moment, then seemed to square her shoulders and bring her gaze back up - full Princess leader mode back on in her posture and stare.

Lance froze, not quite sure at first if he heard her correctly, then swore softly when her gaze went sharp, turning into the fearless leader he knew she was on many occasion. Still, he was taken off guard too much to fully school the shocked look on his face. “Um…”

Allura reached out, taking his hand. “It’s okay if you are. You’ve certainly probably done a better job with him than I have. He needs someone like you, Lance.”

Lance’s eyes narrowed, reminded again of the many silent stares she’d directed at him over the past month. “Why _do_ you look at him the way you do? Don’t you trust Keith?” When she swallowed, her azure eyes darkening in what he hoped was guilt, he went on, unable to resist. “Do you have _any clue_ how much that’s fucked with his head?”

“Yes, but not like you do, especially with the Gomophias...right?” She whispered, looking stricken. Lance jolted, his eyes widening as he moved to pull away, but she held firm, meeting his gaze. “I know what their toxin does, Lance. I was stung once when I was a little girl. So tell me...how bad is he?”

Lance could feel his face go hot, as he stuttered on about needing to test his connection to his Lion, but Allura smiled faintly, squeezing his hand. “I also share something with Platt and the other mice, even now. Consider it a byproduct of 10,000 years sharing the same cryotube.”

Lance stilled, looking over her way. “You….talk telepathically with your mice. Or...feel their emotions?”

She nodded.

Lance let out a slow breath. “He’s...troubled, Allura. Not going to lie. But I think, if we all keep reassuring him, he’ll be fine. He’s strong.”

She nodded, her shoulders rounding, relief once more flashing across her face, smoothing out the sharp frown lips pinching at the corners of her lips. “Good.” Her eyes met his again. “I talked to him in the lab with Shiro, after you left.” He swallowed, nodding, pleased that she’d done that, knowing it would go a long way to helping him recover from the foul self-depreciating moods he’d been having. Slowly, he noted Allura still staring, her eyes turning kind, a small smile tugging at her lips. “And….you two? The Gomophias helped speed along your relationship, I take it?”

Even if he felt like wishing a hole would just open up underneath him and swallow him whole, he nodded slowly. “Yeah,” He murmured, meeting her gaze for a moment, then clearing his throat uncomfortably and shifting on his feet, shrugging off her grip as he fidgeted with his paladin armor. “He, uh, figured out my secret about him and my feelings right after the attack.”

Scrubbing the back of his collar, his hair still tucked tight under his helmet, he shook his head, glancing at the Blue Lion again for a moment, then back at her. “So, yeah, we’re sort of...together, I guess. Well, I’m not sure. Keith’s in a dark place right now, so I figured maybe it’s best to give him some breathing room, but - _I love him_ , Allura. He didn’t like it when I took the serum, but not because he’s a crap paladin or some monster in disguise, but...because he’s afraid of being alone. _We’ve_ done that to him. Not just you... _all_ of us. Not talking openly about the fact his heritage is no big deal.”

Allura winced, but nodded. He watched, though, as her shoulders seemed to relax, a soft exhale of her own escaping past her lips. “As a team...a _family…._ we will fix this, Lance. I swear it. I don’t view Keith as a monster, either.”

Lance paused, unable to help the relief that flooded his system at hearing her words. He always knew, of course, Allura didn’t _really_ think Keith was capable of hating Keith, but - _Well, that’s not completely true,_ his thoughts added hastily as he looked her over, _there was always that small chance you were going to have to tell her you quit if she did, but...it’s good to know she doesn’t -_ it was nice to see her confirm his instincts. “Right, so,” he grinned faintly, tapping his visor. “Gotta be testing the Lion, make sure it doesn’t hate me for what happened out on that rock a few days ago. See you at dinner?”

Allura smiled back. “Yes, dinner. I’ll stay here at the cargo control panels, though. Just in case something goes amiss.”

He nodded, turning and walking towards the Blue Lion, watching its electrical systems power up immediately, the bond clicking into place just as before, as he neared. He grinned faintly, glancing back her way, and she grinned back, giving him a thumbs up. So far, so good.

He stepped up inside it, letting it move him along its flank to the cockpit. When it powered on with a purr, he laughed, patting the yoke of the spacecraft as it came down from the control panel and into his lap while Allura lowered the cargo pit’s large revolving door across the bay, the particle barrier that kept the oxygen they breathed sealed inside the castle ship clicking into place.

“Missed you too, girl,” he whispered to the Lion, hearing it purr once more before it took off into space. He couldn’t help letting out a howl of excitement and heard Allura dimly laughing over the intercom in response.

* * *

“Jesus _Christ,”_ Keith panted, laying flat on the mats that lined the small dueling area of the holo deck, sore and covered in sweat _again._ He’d need _another_ shower before dinner, it seemed, along with some muscle relaxant cream. _Ouch._ “How the _fuck_ can you hit and dodge so well with a fucking mechanical arm?”

Shiro laughed from a few feet away, still standing, tucking his sword away. They were the training ones, only meant to sting by blunt trauma against the body and with a small electrical pulse against your skin to let you know when you’d been hit to tally up points for either side, but Keith’s whole body buzzed from where Shiro had mopped the floor with him. Half-Galra he might be, part of the Blade, but he had some serious training to do if he planned to keep up with Shiro.

“Lots and lots of practice,” Shiro confirmed, helping Keith up with a strong hoist, hand gripped tight to his forearm. He groaned, rolling his head and shoulders once he was back on his feet, wincing at the flicker of pain there. Shiro paused, looking at him with concern, but Keith waved him off. “I’m fine. Well, my ego isn’t,” he laughed, watching Shiro’s expression lighten up, a small smirk tugging at his lips, “but physically I’m fine. You know me too well, sometimes bashing things or my own body helps clear my head.”

Shiro’s eyes flickered down to Keith’s bruised knuckles and he held the hand up, smiling sheepishly. Of course he had noticed them. “Yeah, about that…” He laughed faintly, slightly embarrassed, but sobered up when Shiro frowned his way. He knew he had acted seriously unstable the past few weeks and most of Shiro’s concern was rightfully warranted, but couldn’t seem to explain how much - when he and Allura had told him his heritage was no big deal with their expressions open and honest - it had lifted an inexplicably heavy burden off his shoulders.

“I was relieved to learn who I really was, what that dagger my dad gave me really meant...a link to my mom, but..” He began, shaking his head slowly and shrugging a shoulder, not looking him in the eyes, but forced himself to say what he needed to and get it off his chest. “I was also horrified. I expected something odd, when I noticed I could work Galra tech when no one else could, and the blade _seemed_ Galra, but when we went to that base, and everything _clicked?_ I…” He sighed, finally looking over at Shiro’s concerned expression, shrugging once more. “Half fucking _Galra?_ Jesus, it freaked me out. I wasn’t sure what you guys would think, if I should still even be here, if I should leave...and I felt...so _alone_ …”

God, was he _tearing up?_ He could feel the crush of tears against his eyelids and his chest felt suddenly tight, his voice growing hoarse. He laughed faintly, the sound weak, swiping at his face and turned to move away, but Shiro did the most surprising thing of all next - he gripped Keith’s  shoulder, turning him roughly to him, then _hugged_ him.

“Sorry I wasn't there for you, or the rest of the team, either. You are very much a part of this family, Keith.” Shiro said, loud and clear, so there was no mistaking what he said, even as Shiro gripped him hard, clapping a hand across his back. “I respect the hell out of you. You’re the closest to a little brother I’ve ever had.”

Keith hugged him back, letting a shudder ripple through his frame as the older male - still on the young side for Earth standards, but old enough for Keith to consider him like a father figure all the same, a surrogate for the one he’d lost years ago - and let loose a few slow tears. Shiro squeezed him tight for a few minutes, then finally pulled back when Keith relaxed.

Hunk chose that moment with Pidge to wander inside the holo deck. His thick eyebrows raised when he saw Keith’s tear-stained cheeks, but thankfully said nothing about them. Pidge, too, seemed wide-eyed and full of concern, but Shiro waved off the question hovering at her lips, giving Keith a moment to compose himself. “Yes?”

That seemed to center Hunk, who flashed them both a faint smile. “Dinner’s ready. Allura and Lance are coming back from testing the Blue Lion, which went well, by the way.”

Shiro glanced Keith’s way and he smiled faintly. “I’ll go clean up, see you guys there.”

Everyone nodded and he wandered off, pleased that no horrible self-doubt pounded at him from inside his head. Yeah, he missed Lance there and that surefire feeling that he wasn’t alone, at least with someone, but everything since the lab had assured his conscience he _wasn’t,_ no matter what his inner demons said.

* * *

“You look...great. How’d Lion training go?”

Lance nearly choked on his drink as he whirled in the busy kitchen area, seeing Keith standing a few feet away and staring at him with an intensity in his expression he’d only dreamed of for years. He flushed, glancing over at the others in the room, who seemed to be too busy seating themselves, chatting with one another and serving portions of Hunk’s meal onto their plates, to pay them much attention. “Um, thanks. Good, it went--good, yep.”

 _Christ, since when did I but become a bumbling moron around Keith?_ His mind scoffed as he looked over Keith’s form with what he hoped wasn’t a desperate hungry gaze. He was so beautiful to him, even in in his pain, and Lance blinked, noting that despite the intensity in which he stared, Keith looked - _happy._ He had stared too long in secret at the male in front of him not to notice the difference. “How you feeling? You look...good yourself. Relaxed...not stressed.” His eyes flickered over to Shiro, who was smiling and discussing something between Pidge and Allura across the room. “Your training session with Shiro go well?” He’d heard they’d been on the holo deck, battling each other for the next reigning title at duelist champion. He felt his cheeks heat, remembering suddenly their time together in the showers, knowing that Keith had called it that over the com when Shiro had paged them in the middle of Keith stroking his cock - a _training session_.

“Yeah,” Keith replied, his tone low, making Lance’s cheeks heat further. It sounded close to how it did when he’d taken Keith in his mouth, just before he’d groaned hoarsely and come down his throat. _Think nonsexual thoughts, you idiot,_ he chastised himself, watching Keith’s eyes darken as they noted Lance’s reddening complexion. He seemed to be remembering, too. “So, um, I wanted to talk to you...after dinner. If you don’t mind, that is,” he added hastily at the end, when Lance blinked suddenly at him.

_He wanted to talk? About what?_

“Sure,” he began, frowning as he watched Keith’s expression flicker between relief and nervousness, wondering why. He almost laughed then, realizing he too was missing that bond they’d shared hours earlier. When Keith met his gaze and must have seen the confused look in his eyes, he opened his mouth to say something, stepping closer, that sharpening of his features returning that made Lance’s belly warm, but suddenly - a blaring red pulsing alarm blasted throughout the room.

Both he and Lance froze, eyes wide, as they stared at one another. _What the fuck? What was_ **_that?_ **

“We’re under attack!” Allura yelled, jumping up and sprinting towards the door in a dead run, no doubt for the main control deck. “Paladins, to your Lions! _Now!_ ”

Keith and Lance shared another significant stare, but quickly followed the others that began to bolt out the room, heading in a hurry towards the cargo bay where the Lions were stored. As they tugged on their gear in a hurry, Lance waited for instructions from either Coran or Allura over the com system, hoping they’d sensed from the control deck what they were under attack from. Hopefully it wasn’t Galra, but these days it seemed nothing was out of the question.

“What’re we looking at?” Barked Shiro, already halfway buckled into his paladin gear, making Lance hustle faster himself to be ready. The others seemed to be as behind as he was, Pidge and Hunk barely having their leg armor and boots on, Keith clipping his chest piece into place.

“It’s...oh no!” Coran rang out, Allura being heard shouting something in the distance. Lance frowned, worry beginning to churn his gut, sharing a concerned stare with the others, when the castle ship suddenly jerked, nearly sending them all sprawling.

Eyes wide, Lance scrambled to finish dressing,  even as Shiro began barking orders for the very same. “Get dressed and in the Lions! Now!” He was already finished, grabbing his weapon and sprinting for the Black Lion.  “Allura? Coran? What’s going on? What hit us?”

It was Allura that answered that time, her voice shaking, despite the brave front she was putting on. “It’s the Gomophias, they found us somehow! They’re...attacking the ship’s power core. If they keep draining it, we’ll be sitting ducks! I--Coran, watch out!”

Suddenly, the com link went dead - as did everything else but the Lions, being cast in total darkness. The emergency generators kicked in, only to blip out moments later.

Lance shuddered, closing his eyes a moment, before he heard Keith’s exclamation of shock. “ _What?_ Did she just say...the Gomophias found us? _What the hell?_ ”

Shiro had skidded to a halt just outside his Lion, panting, looking rattled himself. He clenched his jaw, about to sprint for his Lion, when Lance was slammed with the sudden realization of what could happen if they all went out there, guns blazing. _“WAIT!”_

Everyone froze, even Shiro, though the effort seemed to cost him. His eyes were dark, demanding, and Lance hastily said what he needed to say, holding up a hand as the others began to finish dressing. “Keith and I should be the only ones to go, the rest of you should stay here, get the castle ship working once we lure them away, and make sure Allura and Coran are alright.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Hunk asked, shaking his head incredulously, gesturing around them. “We need Voltron to--”

Lance had opened his mouth to argue, but Pidge chose that moment to speak up. “No, Lance is right.” Everyone looked her way, but she was only staring at Lance, her eyes flickering with awareness. “Lance and Keith are the only ones immune currently to the toxins they release when they feed or attack. If the other Lions got hit, then us, we’d be mere sitting ducks and not able to help or do anything. Only Lance and Keith could keep their connections to their Lions, since they won’t feel those effects. It has to be them.”

Lance nodded, turning and tugging on his helmet, beginning to run towards the Blue Lion. “Can you get coms working again?” He shouted towards her, even as he took off. He noted Keith doing the same, even if his eyes flashed with some type of wild panic when they looked his way. For now, he tuned it out, watching his beast come to life as he neared.

“On it!” She confirmed, running towards the cargo bay control panels. Luckily, everything in the cargo bay was on a separate system and she was able to patch it rather quickly. Lance slipped into his Lion, feeling his anxiety ripen as he thought of what he was going to face. Quickly, he felt the com link hiss back into action, crackling to life in his ear.

“Now what?” He heard Keith say, also powering up. Lance steadied his breath, looking out as the cargo bay doors swung open.

“First thing’s first, get them away from the castle ship. Use your laser beam, the energy signature should lure them off the castle. Once they’re on us, we’ll test them for weaknesses. Pidge, what do you think?” Lance  sure hoped he felt more intelligent than he sounded, still feeling overwhelmed at his plan of action.

“No, it’s good, I agree. It’s all we have for now,” she commented, tapping keys being heard in the distance behind her. “I’ll see if I can scour their directory entry, learn something new.”

Shiro spoke next. “Hunk and I will go check on Allura and Coran, also check the power core. Go, it sounds like you have a good plan.”

Looking out the Blue Lion’s window, he saw Keith struggling to slide into his cockpit, all nervous raw energy, much like his Lion. Swallowing, nodding, he powered up - and took off.

_Please, let this work._

* * *

Keith didn’t like the sound of this plan. Lance was sounding way too much like a hero right now, and when plans like this came to fruition, most heroes ended up paying too high of a price. He swallowed, jabbing the keys of his Lion to key it up for take off, looking out his cockpit window as Lance took off ahead of him, exiting the cargo bay.

He hadn’t even had a chance to tell Lance he cared about him - the one individual who’d always been in his corner, even when he didn’t know it. He would _not_ see Lance sacrifice himself, not before Lance knew how much Keith wanted to be with him, in every sense of the word.

Turning his gaze once they were clear of the ship, Keith swore softly into his com, the acrid taste of fear blooming in the back of his throat. The castle ship was _covered_ in stars - now called Gomophias, according to Pidge and Coran - and what he saw shocked and terrified him. Still, he knew his job, and wrenched out a laser blast like Lance had asked for, as close to the castle ship that was losing critical power as he felt comfortable with.

As Lance predicted, the swarm of Gomophias took notice and began to detach themselves from the castle ship, coming after him - and Lance. “Now what?” He asked into the com, watching Lance’s Blue Lion take off for the stars.

“Now we run!” Lance shouted, and he took off with him, leaving the castle ship floating in space, at half power.

* * *

Shiro listened to Keith and Lance talking over the com, his gut churning at the dangers they were in. They fought danger every day, constantly at war with Zarkon and all his factions, but today for some reason, that threat of imminent death and the risk they always exposed themselves to seemed more sharp and noticeable.

Panting, hurrying along, hearing Hunk keeping pace with him as he sprinted towards the control panel, he turned a sharp corner and slammed through the doors, relieved to see Allura and Coran rapidly barking orders at one another, trying to restore power. Allura briefly glanced their way, a warrior hardness in her eyes, but looked relieved for a moment before she resumed barking orders at Coran.

“What can we do to help?” He asked, snapping his fingers and telling Hunk to begin trying to reboot supplemental systems and shields.

Allura looked around her, shaking her head. “Not much, most will come back online, but the power core will need longer to charge.” She kept rapidly hitting button sequences, so Shiro was able to tell what she meant. “How’d you get them off?” She asked, tilting her head his way.

“I didn’t, Lance and Keith did.” He supplied, watching her jolt in shock. Coran even paused briefly, resuming his rapid fire rebooting as he typed. “They’re away now, lured the Gomophias off the castle ship, so we could get back to a fighting stance. We couldn’t risk going out there, exposing ourselves to the toxin. Pidge said there wasn’t anymore serum left.”

“He was right,” Coran suddenly exclaimed, blanching. “But if those Gomophias get ahold of them, even with the serum blurring the effects of the toxin, they could be killed!”

“You think I don’t know that!” Shouted Shiro, running a hand frustratingly through his hair. He brushed Coran off the controls, getting Allura to show him what to do in Coran’s absence. “Go help Pidge figure something out! Please? They’ll die out there!”

Coran listened, running from the room, heading to where Pidge still was in the cargo bay, hopefully finding s _omething_ that would help save the other two paladins.

* * *

They were running out of time. The Gomophias, with the energy from the castle ship, where gaining on them. Lance felt sweat trickle between his brows, trembling as he navigated the stars, Keith hot on his heels, blasting a ionic laser every few seconds to keep them coming their way.

“Lance? Babe? What should we do?” Keith asked, interrupting Lance’s thoughts. He shivered, hearing that quiver of repressed emotions Keith had been briefly demonstrating at dinner. He cared, Lance knew it, but couldn’t think on it too long for now, not with what he had planned.

“We split up. Go left, I’ll go right,” Lance countered, hoping Keith didn’t suspect what he was about to do. “We both use lasers, medium force, to lessen their strength in numbers, then….draw them to the sun up ahead. That’s got a lot of energy.” He knew that plan wouldn’t work somehow, in his gut, but Keith seemed to buy it, taking off towards the left.

Reaching for the yoke of his Lion, he stroked along the black metal handles, feeling the Blue Lion’s acceptance of what he was about to do. Looking out the cockpit window, noting Keith was far enough away he wouldn’t be able to return in time, he pressed the button that opened up Blue’s mouth - shooting out his laser cannon from there, at _full strength._

“Lance! What are you doing?! _LANCE! LANCE--_ **_DON’T!_ ** _”_

He willed Keith’s panicked screams out of his head, feeling all the Gomophias turn his way, then close in on his ship. He felt the Blue Lion’s pain like it was his own - and then it was, feeling them able to get through the systems easily, assailing the cockpit, and his own body. Trembling, feeling himself growing weaker by the minute, he struggled to reach forward, then slammed his fist into the sonic cannon trigger,

Everything after that went black.

* * *

“Is he awake?”

Lance couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. He struggled to raise his hand, wave and say that _yes -_ he very much was awake, but couldn't seem to do anything but lay there, floating in an abyss of sensation.

“Is he fucking awake?!” The shrill shout was Keith. He sounded devastated, his voice hoarse, like he’d been screaming for hours. “Will he survive? _Goddammit, don’t tell me to calm the fuck down!_ I love him and he sacrificed himself to keep me and everyone on this fucking ship safe! _TELL ME HE’S OKAY!_ ”

Lance wanted to comfort him, feeling his heart sing in joy at hearing Keith explode with emotions he’d always dreamed of hearing from him, then immediately started to panic, a pain searing his chest. Was this a dream, or a hallucination? Was he merely playing out his deepest, darkest hopes right before he died? It certainly felt that way.

“What’s going on? Why are his stats like that? _NO!_ I am _NOT_ leaving him! Let me G _O! JUST STOP! LANCE!_ Lance, can you hear me? Baby, please come back to me! _PLEASE! STAY, PLEASE!”_

Lance tried to say something, but the blackness consumed him once more.

* * *

Keith refused to leave Lance’s side, even when nearly court marshaled for his earlier hysterics by Shiro. He didn’t care what _any_ of them thought, he was _not leaving._ The others, when he shouted out his feelings, didn’t even seem surprised, merely saddened, their eyes telling him without words they too worried Lance would never wake up again.

It had been nearly a week - one long, hellish week - that Lance had played the martyr and lured all the Gomophias to the Blue Lion, then used his sonic cannon to shock their systems and make them comatose. The castle ship had caught up not long after that, when Keith was ready to burn those fuckers to oblivion, and used Galra tech to quarantine the species to an uninhabited sector of space that was rich in inorganic energy that would feed them for centuries. Shiro, Coran, Pidge and Allura had tried to tell him the Gomophias were merely like animals, but it didn’t matter to Keith - what mattered was the man’s hand he was holding, depleted of so much energy, he laid half dead in the med pod, barely being able to be brought back. Pidge had told him Lance would be fine, he was out of the danger zone now, but Keith couldn’t help but stare at that waxy complexion Lance had now, so unlike his typical olive ruddiness, that made his heart seize in panic.

“You can’t die,” He whispered, kissing Lance’s cheeks, his forehead, his mouth. “Not when I just realized how important you are to me.”

He bowed his head, feeling tears trickle down his cheeks. “I love you. Please come back to me.”

Suddenly, the impossible happened - Lance’s fingers squeezed his hand that held his own. Keith’s head whipped up, eyes widening, as he saw Lance tiredly staring at him, tears glimmering in his eyes.

“I love you, too.” He whispered hoarsely, then winced, no doubt needing water. He bolted up, scaring Pidge when he screamed for water - and the others. Lance merely smiled, closing his eyes a second, but Keith felt his fingers tighten further, not wanting him to let go.

He never would.

* * *

“You’re awake.”

Lance shivered, feeling Keith at his back as he twisted faintly in the bed, seeing his _boyfriend_ snuggled up close in the bed. It had been close to three months since the Gomophia attack and his brush with death and Keith  had immediately moved into his quarters - now their quarters - once he was allowed back in his rooms, fully recovered, even as Keith continued to treat him like glass. One day soon, he’d show him he was fine and he was still a paladin of Voltron, but for now it was nice to feel that cherished.

“I am,” He smiled, nuzzling Keith’s cheek with his own, pressing his lips to Keith’s mouth. He felt Keith immediately go hard against his side, making him chuckle, lowering his lips again. “And I’m horny.”

“ _Fuck,”_ Keith hissed, taking control of the kiss, grasping the back of Lance’s head and holding him tightly in place. Lance moaned, feeling his own arousal spike, his cock growing hard enough he had to roll closer against Keith’s form, his erection grinding uncomfortably into the mattress beneath them. Keith, for his part, had never been short of saying those three words since he had woken, and hadn’t held back with constant bouts of mind blowing sex once Lance was allowed back in his rooms. They’d had sex in so many ways, on nearly every surface of their shared living space, that no one even bothered paging them if they were ensconced in their quarters unless it was an emergency.

Keith didn’t waste time, rolling atop Lance, tugging him gently onto his back and splaying his thighs wide. His mouth dropped, nibbling at Lance’s collar bones, before he sat up and stared down at Lance, reaching for the side table to grab a small thing of lube. Lance shuddered at the sound of him uncapping it, drizzling it along his fingers, then reaching between them, his cock hard and jutting forward, slicking up Lance’s hole.

Lance watched, always in awe of the rush of emotion and lust that hit him when he watched Keith prepare him, then idly stroke his cock with the leftover slickness on his fingers, before pressing forward, breeching him slowly, his eyes going half mast until he was all the way in, his balls flush against his ass. “You feel so good, baby. All mine.”

Lance felt it, too. Keith was perfect for him, in every way, and he couldn’t help but whimper against Keith’s mouth when he began to slowly thrust in and out, grinding against that familiar spot inside him as he did so. As always lately, the combination of knowing Keith loved him and desired him physically set him close to the edge within moments.

“You close?” Keith whispered, his tone husky, telling Lance it was the same for him. What their current sex life lacked for in length at times, they made up for it in the times they were together. Even now, on the brink, he was already fantasizing about sucking Keith off in the shower later - something Keith seemed surprised Lance liked doing. He just felt so powerful, kneeling before Keith, watching such a powerful man brought to heel in the way Lance could worship his cock.

“Yes,” he whispered, struggling not to dig his heels in too hard as his ankles curled around Keith’s hips. “Harder, take me over the edge - _please.”_

“I love you,” Keith whispered, doing what he asked. Those words, combined with how Keith reached between them and stroked his cock, sent him over the edge. He groaned, arching faintly, splaying thighs wider as Keith rooted deep, then spurted in Keith’s fingers, coating his chest and Keith’s own, even as he heard Keith rasp out a soft expletive and his cock began to throb in sharp, kicking jolts inside him, followed by the warm plume of his release.

Gently, Keith pulled out, his cock warm and slick from lube and cum, but Lance held him tight when he moved to pull away. Keith grabbed a towel, pressing it between them both, and gently cleaned them off, tugging Lance close.

Lance smiled, beginning to doze, as Keith rolled and curled up against his backside. “I love you, too,” he whispered back, feeling Keith kiss his shoulder in response. Their life, and what they were continuing to do - fight Zarkon, release people from slavery or other dangers - wasn’t perfect, but what they had between them nearly was.

That, Lance decided, was his own version of a Happily Ever After, and that was fine with him.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thanks to the amount of reads on this! I told myself I'd be ecstatic with 1K hits and this story far exceeded any of my expectations. I hope it did yours with the story involved. I really love the VLD fandom and will probably write more stories for it later, but for now - hope this ending pleased everyone who subscribed to this story.
> 
> Thanks for all your comments, likes, subscriptions, kudos, and clicks. That has made this little fanfic writer's day.


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